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Kadin appeals for short COVID-19 curbs
Last year, Indonesia's GDP contracted by 0.7 percent annually in the first quarter after the government imposed large-scale mobility restrictions (PSBB).
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Police officers divert motorists at a checkpoint at the Senayan traffic circle in South Jakarta on July 3, 2021. The government imposes emergency public activity restrictions (PPKM Darurat) in Java and Bali from July 3 to 20, 2021, to stem the alarming surge of COVID-19 cases. (Antara/M. Risyal Hidayat)
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he Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) has urged the government to limit heightened public activity restrictions (PPKM) to no more than one month, shortly after authorities imposed PPKM level 3 in some areas to curtail a third COVID-19 wave.
Kadin regional autonomy deputy chairman Sarman Simanjorang said on Monday that businesses were hoping to get a sales and profit boost during the upcoming holy month of Ramadan. He also said Omicron was less fatal compared to previous variants, implying that further restrictions might not be needed.
Ramadan is slated to start in early April, followed by the Idul Fitri holidays in early May.
“We are hoping that PPKM level 3 will not be in place for too long. We hope that by mid-March, [the pandemic] can be under control so that the government can lower the PPKM level,” Sarman said in a statement.
A third wave of the coronavirus pandemic is taking hold across the country, as cases have continued to rise since early January this year. On Sunday, new daily cases reached a six-month peak of more than 36,000 before decreasing to 26,000 on Monday, but the number of new deaths jumped to 82 from 57 the previous day.
In response, the government imposed PPKM level 3 measures in Greater Jakarta, Greater Bandung, Bali and Yogyakarta, shortening the operational hours for malls and restaurants, and limiting their occupancy rates, among other curbs.
Read also: Govt ratchets up COVID-19 curbs
