Authorities Rebuff Allegation Jakarta is a Black Zone for Covid-19 Transmission

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Jakarta Deputy Governor Ahmad Riza Patria has denied reports the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) designated the capital as a black zone, purportedly the highest level of Covid-19 transmission.

“[No parts of Jakarta] are in the black zone,“ Riza said on August 12 following the circulation of a photo on social media showing the capital’s five municipalities — Central Jakarta, East Jakarta, North Jakarta, South Jakarta, and West Jakarta — to be in a black zone.

“However, the level of [Covid-19] transmission in the capital remains high, particularly during the transition large-scale social distancing phase over the past few weeks. Yet the testing rate is also high at between 5,000 and 10,000 swabs a day or 55,000 a week.”

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Riza maintained that Jakarta is on the right track against the coronavirus due to its high rate of testing.

BIN shares Riza's assessment.

“[BIN] never issued the photo on the black zones,” said the agency’s Communication and Information head Wawan Hari Purwanto. “It is a hoax.”

The Covid-19 Task Force and BIN only acknowledged four color codes for zones, namely green  for no Covid-19 transmission, yellow for low levels of transmission, orange for moderate transmission levels, and red for the highest transmission levels.

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Aside from Jakarta, the cities of Surabaya and Solo received a red zone status at some point in Indonesia’s Covid-19 outbreak.