Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan has announced that PPKM levels 2, 3 and 4 have been extended to 16th August.
The implementation of the extension of PPKM levels 2, 3 and 4, which had been in place 2nd to 9th August in Java and Bali, has shown quite encouraging results, according to Luhut. The data shows a decline of 59.6 percent from the peak of cases on 15th July 2021.
“This already good momentum must be maintained. Therefore, at the direction of the Indonesian president, PPKM levels 2, 3 and 4 in Java and Bali will be extended until August 16th,”
Luhut explained during a joint virtual press conference with the Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Airlangga Hartarto, and the Health Minister, Budi Gunadi.
The decision was taken in a cabinet meeting chaired by the President. The evaluation for Java and Bali is carried out once a week, while for all other areas, the decision is made out once every two weeks.
Every step that the government takes into account various aspects as well as input from various experts in their fields.
The situation outside the regions of Java and Bali, cannot be viewed immediately as compared to Java and Bali, Luhut said.
“Challenges outside Java and Bali are greater than within Java and Bali, for example, in terms of health infrastructure support. The government will continue to work hard to control the pandemic throughout Indonesia,” Luhut explained.
Furthermore, Luhut said the Indonesian government will conduct trials of gradual opening for shopping centres in areas declared as level 4 with 25 percent capacity.
“The trial of opening shopping centres will be carried out in the cities of Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya and Semarang with a capacity of 25 percent over the next week,” he said. Visitors must have been vaccinated against COVID-19 by showing vaccination proof through the PeduliLindungi app.
Places of worship such as mosques, churches, temples and monasteries in the PPKM level 4 area can also be opened with a maximum capacity of 20 people or 25 percent.
“We urge all people to make it a habit to wear masks because they may live with these masks for more years to come. This is one thing to prevent the delta (variant),” Luhut emphasised.
SOURCE: Kompas TV