President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has officially extended the status of the national COVID-19 pandemic as a follow up to the order of the constitutional court.
He also confirmed the reasons for extending the status of the COVID-19 national pandemic. One of them is because the disease, which has been designated as a global pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO) since 11th March 2020, has not ended in Indonesia.
Not only that, but President Jokowi also reasoned that COVID-19, which has been designated a public health emergency based on presidential decree 11/2020, has so far had an impact on various aspects of society, including health, the economy and society. This decision was signed by President Jokowi through presidential decree number 24 of 2021.
Previously, the constitutional court ordered President Jokowi to determine the continuation of the COVID-19 status in Indonesia. According to the court, the president’s decision in determining the factual status of the pandemic in Indonesia is very important and there needs to be legal certainty that the pandemic has not ended.
The court’s order was delivered when reading out the decision on lawsuit number 37/PUU-XVIII/2020 related to law number 2 of 2020 with the approval of the House of Representatives. The government is required to declare the status of the COVID-19 pandemic at the end of the second year after the status was created.
“This government regulation in lieu of law comes into force on the date of promulgation and must be declared invalid by the president officially announcing that the status of the COVID-19 pandemic has ended in Indonesia and that status must be declared no later than the end of the second year.
“The fact is that the COVID-19 pandemic has not ended, before entering the third year, the quo law can still be enforced, but the allocation of the budget and the determination of the budget deficit limit for handling the COVID-19 pandemic, must obtain the approval of the DPR and the consideration of the DPD,” said Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court Anwar Usman on the court’s YouTube channel on Thursday 28th October 2021.