Magelang City seeks to improve quality of recorded COVID-19 data

Magelang, Central Java (ANTARA) - The Magelang city government in Central Java Province has sought to fix the quality of COVID-19 data recorded owing to discrepancy as compared to that of the provincial and central government, thereby resulting in improper COVID-19 handling measures.

Magelang city secretary Joko Budiyono noted in a written statement received here on Thursday, that the PCR test results of residents from surrounding areas were often included in the Magelang city's data.

"It turns out the data from the central (government) also included residents from outside (Magelang) who got tested here, and it (made its way into the) count. Hence, from now on, we will attempt to make the data uniform, so they are all not mixed, and thus, the central (government), province, and regional data are the same," Budiyono remarked.

The discrepancy in data is also seen in the COVID-19 emergency hospitals' bed occupancy rates.

Budiyono, concurrently serving as head of the Magelang Task Force for COVID-19 handling, revealed that almost half of the 30-percent bed occupancy rates constituted residents from outside Magelang that has three sub-districts and 17 villages.

"Moreover, the data of active cases often did not align with the actual condition. Data from Central Java Province and central governments indicated that Magelang had about one thousand people (active cases), when in reality, only 115 active cases were there," he elaborated.

Magelang City continues to enforce the level 4 community activity restrictions (PPKM) policy until August 30, 2021, in accordance with the Instruction of the Home Affairs Minister Number 35 of 2021 regarding Level 4, Level 3, and Level 2 of COVID-19 community activity restrictions in the Java and Bali regions.

Following the instruction, Magelang Mayor Muchamad Nur Aziz had stipulated Magelang Mayor's Instruction Number 6 of 2021 dated August 24, 2021, regarding level 4 PPKM in Magelang City.

"We still have to apply the level 4 community activity restrictions (PPKM) policy extended until August 30, 2021, since although the number of active cases of COVID-19 had decreased, the hospital BOR was also only 30 percent," he confirmed.

He ensured that Magelang City was ready to apply the level 4 PPKM policy until any change of decision was made.

He also made assurance that the Magelang city government will not discriminate in handling COVID-19 patients according to their areas of origin since Magelang also depended on other areas.

The non-discriminatory act also includes vaccination. The Magelang city government facilitates residents outside the area, as they work and interact with the local residents.

"Humanity matters. We will not sacrifice important things for the sake of changing the status of the pandemic. Health services in Magelang City are for residents from any region, and there is no difference," he affirmed.

All tourist destinations in Magelang are closed since the past two months due to the extension of level 4 PPKM policy.

Operations of malls, non-essential modern shops, places of worship, traditional markets, and indoor restaurants are still strictly limited.