Friday prayers banned in Jakarta’s red zones

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Jakarta provincial government has placed a temporary ban on performing Friday prayers in red zones for Muslims until July 5.

The ban is stipulated in Jakarta Governor’s Decision No. 796 of 2021 on tightening activities in various sectors during the micro-scale public activity restriction (PPKM) period in adherence with the central government’s directives.

“Our regional government’s task is to implement what the central task force and the Home Affairs Ministry have decided, including the instruction to perform religious duties at home. This means there will be no Friday prayers tomorrow,” Jakarta Vice Governor Ahmad Riza Patria stated at the Jakarta City Hall on Thursday.

The ban on Friday prayers is only applicable in red zones, or areas with a high risk of COVID-19 transmission, he clarified.

“True, it only applies to red zones. (Friday prayers) are allowed in areas other than red zones. However, almost all areas in Jakarta have been designated as red zones,” he pointed out.

Patria noted that 2,116 community groups (RW) in the capital had seen a rise in COVID-19 cases.

“True, there is an increase. Nearly 265 out of the 267 village-level areas have positive cases, and only two do not have,” he remarked.

According to data from the corona.jakarta.go.id, positive cases were found in 2,166 RWs in Jakarta, comprising 349 RWs in North Jakarta, 568 RWs in East Jakarta, 480 RWs in South Jakarta, 285 RWs in Central Jakarta, and 484 RWs in West Jakarta.

The Jakarta administration has enforced stricter PPKM in response to a recent spike in COVD-19 cases.

The Indonesian capital registered the addition of 5,014 new cases in a single day on June 21, 2021, thereby pushing the tally to 479,043 cases; 5,582 cases on June 20; and 4,895 cases on June 19, 2021, a drastic jump from 856 new cases on May 21, 2021.

Moreover, a total of 32,060 people were undergoing treatment or isolation on account of the COVID-19 infection, while 71 Jakartans had succumbed to the disease, thereby taking the death toll to 7,976 as of June 21, 2021. The COVID-19 recovery rate is still high, at 95.4 percent, while the mortality rate was recorded at 1.7 percent.

Source: Antara News