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Indonesia to stick to current curbs for Christmas, New Year holidays
“We will ensure that PPKM is implemented in the regions according to their level [of risk]. [Although restriction] levels are adjustable, we will not ease the prevailing curbs until January,” said Vice President Ma’ruf Amin on Friday.
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A child receives a Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine dose at an elementary school in Jakarta on Wednesday, as part of a government program to vaccinate children aged 6 to 11. (AFP/Adek Berry)
T
he government has said it will stick to its current mobility restrictions during the year-end holidays, despite having recently reported the country’s first known case of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
Vice President Ma’ruf Amin said the government would continue to implement multi-tiered public activity restrictions (PPKM) in accordance with the pandemic situation in each region.
“We will ensure that PPKM is implemented in the regions according to their level [of risk]. [Although] these levels are adjustable, we will not ease the prevailing curbs until January,” said Ma’ruf on Friday.
He urged health authorities to accelerate the vaccination drive and improve testing and tracing to prevent widespread transmission of the new strain.
The government is planning to expand its COVID-19 booster program to members of general public next month, prioritizing immunocompromised people and the elderly, as studies suggest that two-dose regimens are less effective against the new variant.
Read also: Indonesia to expedite Omicron booster rollout
Preliminary research suggests that Omicron is more transmissible than the Delta variant of the coronavirus, which wreaked havoc on the country in July. However, the symptoms caused by the Omicron variant are thought to be generally less severe than those of Delta.
