Indonesia to Erase COVID-19 Restriction

TheIndonesia.co - Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy said the government has a great opportunity to erase the public activity restriction (PPKM) as soon as possible.

"Why do we need to continue PPKM if the COVID-19 condition has already been under control?" Effendy told ANTARA in Jakarta on Sunday, May 22, 2022.

The government, he said, had carefully considered inputs from experts regarding the implementation of PPKM in Indonesia. "There is a big chance to erase PPKM as soon as possible," he added.

He said that one of the indicators of transition to endemic was President Joko Widodo (Jokowi)'s decision to drop the mask rule by allowing people to take off masks in open spaces with good air circulation and consideration of safe distances. In addition, the government also began to abolish the travel bubble policy at the meeting of the Seventh Session of the Global Platform (2022 GPDRR) on May 23-28 2022 in Bali.

"I have met the President. He has agreed that there will be no bubbles at that event," Effendy noted.

He says the GPDRR meeting that President Jokowi will open on May 25, 2022, will also be a trial for Indonesia's transition during the COVID-19 endemic. Around 4,300 participants from state delegations will participate in the offline meeting.

"Participants can go anywhere in Bali. They are not restricted to go around the hotel's area only," Effendy said.

In fact, all business places such as cafes, restaurants, pubs, and various culinary areas in Bali can resume operations for 24 hours. He conveyed that the next easing in the COVID-19 situation is the policy of removing masks in various other public facilities, such as in public transportation modes and indoors with good air ventilation.

"The next stage of the easing is not wearing a mask," Effendy added.

Previously, an Epidemiologist from the Faculty of Health of the University of Indonesia (UI), Pandu Riono, has asked the government not to continue PPKM starting from May 23, 2022.

"I encourage the government to erase the PPKM regulation and loosen up public activities," Riono suggested.

The suggestion was made by referring to the increase in antibody levels of Indonesian people against SARS CoV-2 that caused COVID-19, so the government needed to follow up to drop the rules that restrict community activities.