Jakarta Deputy Governor Ahmad Riza Patria has asked the central government to consider raising the level of PPKM in the city amid a surge in COVID-19 cases.
“It is necessary to consider whether PPKM will still remain as it is now, at level two, or at level three,” Patria said at the Jakarta City Hall, Wednesday 2nd January.
Given that the current state of the COVID-19 pandemic in Jakarta is increasingly worrying, the Jakarta Provincial Government has the right to propose an increase in the PPKM level. However, the decision to raise the PPKM status, said Patria, cannot be taken unilaterally by the Jakarta Provincial Government.
The government should also look at the buffer zones when upgrading the PPKM status.
Currently, Jakarta is still at PPKM level 2 from 1st to 7th February. This is in accordance with the instruction of the Home Affairs Minister number 6 of 2022 concerning PPKM Levels 1, 2, and 3 in Java and Bali.
COVID-19 cases in Jakarta as of 2nd February reached 928,875, which includes 41,974 active cases, 13,689 deaths overall, and 873,212 recovered patients.