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Jakarta retightens curbs as fears of Omicron, 3rd wave cast shadow over holidays
The government has reimposed level-2 curbs on Greater Jakarta as part of its COVID-19 control measures, amid the double threat of a third wave and Omicron over the year-end holidays.
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People wearing face masks wait to scan their vaccination barcode before entering Pondok Indah Mall in South Jakarta on Aug. 13, 2021. The government has reimposed level 2 of the public activity restrictions (PPKM) on Greater Jakarta from Nov. 29, ahead of the nationwide PPKM level 3 planned for the year-end holiday season. (Reuters/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana)
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reater Jakarta has been upgraded to level 2 of the public activity restrictions (PPKM) this week, as the government seeks to bolster the capital’s defense against the potential threat of the Omicron variant and a possible third wave ahead of the year-end holidays.
In a Home Minister instruction issued on Monday, the government reinstated PPKM level 2 in Jakarta, the city and regency of Tangerang, as well as Bekasi regency.
The policy is in effect until Dec. 13 at the very least pending weekly reviews, to be followed with nationwide level-3 curbs from Dec. 24 to Jan. 2.
Read also: Indonesia to place all provinces under stricter curbs for year-end holidays
Despite the heightened PPKM level, which is determined by weekly COVID-19 indicators, Jakarta has been doing generally well in its pandemic response. The capital has reported daily figures of above 100 new infections only a handful of times over the past two weeks.
The capital’s fatality figures have also been relatively stable, with no new deaths reported since Nov. 26.
Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan, who heads the nation’s pandemic recovery efforts for Java and Bali, said in a statement on Monday that the measure to retighten curbs in Greater Jakarta was related to a decrease in testing rates in agglomeration areas.
