JakartaPost-July 5, 2022
The government will continue to implement the lowest level of public activity restrictions (PPKM) until early next month, assuring the loosened curbs would be enough to contain a recent spike in COVID-19 infections. Coordinating Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto, who oversees pandemic response in regions outside Java and Bali, said that almost all of the regions under his watch would maintain PPKM level 1, the least stringent in the four-tiered curbs. “We will extend the restrictions from July 5 to Aug. 1. Out of the 385 cities and regencies outside of Java and Bali, only one regency will implement PPKM level 2, while the remaining will continue to implement PPKM level 1,” Airlangga told a press conference on Monday. Meanwhile, Home Ministry Regional Administration Development Director General Safrizal Z.A told the press that most regions in Java and Bali would also continue to implement PPKM level 1 until next month. In addition to maintaining the relatively lax curbs, the government will continue to impose its already eased rules for mask-wearing despite mounting calls by health experts and medical professionals to review the policy amid the current spike in infections. Just last month, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo announced that people were no longer required to wear masks outdoors, although he still recommended mask-wearing in crowded outdoor settings, as well as for the elderly and those with underlying health conditions and acute coughing. The government is currently formulating a plan to make a third shot mandatory for domestic air travel in a bid to increase vaccination coverage and improve the public’s immunity against new COVID-19 sub-variants. Read more at: https://www.thejakartapost.com/indonesia/2022/07/04/govt-maintains-current-ppkm-restrictions.html.
