20,000 New COVID-19 Cases Daily... Thousands Gather for Volcano Climbing in Indonesia

Thousands Climb Mount Bromo to Throw Offerings into the Volcano.
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Seoyoung] As Indonesia records around 20,000 daily COVID-19 cases, thousands of people are climbing Mount Bromo for religious ceremonies, causing authorities to remain on high alert.

The Tengger people in the Bromo region hold a Hindu ritual called 'Yadnya Kasada,' similar to a mountain deity festival, every year. On the 27th, Antara News and others reported that thousands of Hindu devotees in Indonesia lined up to climb Mount Bromo in East Java to perform a ritual of throwing offerings such as chickens, vegetables, and fruits into the crater. People carrying goats on their backs, holding chickens, and bringing crops reached the steep crater. At the site of the ceremony, many were seen without wearing masks.

Bambang Suprapto, president of the Hindu Association in the Bromo area, stated, "This ritual cannot be held elsewhere or replaced by a virtual ceremony." However, local Indonesian authorities, concerned about the spread, banned tourists from participating in the event. This is due to the alarming recent surge in COVID-19 cases in Indonesia.

According to the Indonesian Ministry of Health, the previous day saw 21,095 new COVID-19 cases and 358 additional deaths. This brought the total confirmed cases to over 2.09 million and total deaths to over 56,000. Until last month, daily cases were around 5,000, but due to the impact of the major holiday Lebaran and the spread of the Delta variant originating from India, cases have steadily increased, surpassing 20,000 on the 24th.

Consequently, the risk of infection among medical staff has also increased. According to the Indonesian Medical Association, from March last year to the 25th of this month, at least 949 healthcare workers?including 401 doctors, 315 nurses, and 15 pharmacists?have died from COVID-19 infections. The association president expressed concern, saying, "As the number of patients abnormally increased, medical staff working hours also extended," adding, "This has more than doubled the risk of exposure to the COVID-19 virus."

Meanwhile, Indonesia's health authorities have taken emergency measures such as setting up tents in hospital yards to serve as emergency rooms after Jakarta's COVID-19 bed occupancy rate exceeded 90%. Additionally, the Jakarta provincial government is implementing measures including a shift to remote work and restrictions on operating hours for restaurants and department stores. However, strong lockdown measures like those in India or Malaysia have not yet been implemented.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.