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Caution urged after lifting of all COVID-19 restrictions
Indonesia is inching toward an endemic phase of the COVID-19 outbreak after the government lifted all of the remaining COVID-19 restrictions just before the turn of the year, but epidemiologists say the war on the virus is far from over.
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People are seen at the Bundaran Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, where the New Year's Eve is usually celebrated in Jakarta, on Dec. 31, 2022. (Reuters/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana)
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ndonesia is inching toward an endemic phase of the COVID-19 outbreak after the government lifted all of the remaining COVID-19 restrictions just before the turn of the year, but epidemiologists say the war on the virus is far from over.
Removing the public activity restrictions (PPKM) means that the use of masks and the PeduliLindungi tracing app is no longer mandatory but advisable, particularly when using public transit and in crowds. Before the Friday announcement, most mobility restrictions had already been removed for recipients of at least one booster vaccine shot, but authorities still required masks to be worn indoors and use PeduliLindungi when entering most public spaces.
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo announced on Friday that the PPKM was officially lifted, although the health emergency status of COVID-19 is still in place because the pandemic is not over yet and the World Health Organization (WHO) still considers the coronavirus as a public health emergency of international concern.
Epidemiologist Windhu Purnomo of Surabaya-based Airlangga University said the lifting of the PPKM was simply an official recognition of ongoing practice in the last few months in which mobility and public restrictions were minimal and almost nonexistent.
“Public communication must continue to remind the public that the virus is still around,” Windhu told The Jakarta Post on Saturday. “As long as the virus still exists, there will always be mutations that produce subvariants. Although they tend to be less virulent than their predecessors, they can still cause an uptick in cases.”
He said vaccination drives should still continue and people should be encouraged to wear masks as part of a healthy lifestyle to prevent any disease, not just COVID-19.
Griffith University epidemiologist Dicky Budiman was concerned that the lifting of the PPKM came into force during the year-end holidays, which could put Indonesia in a vulnerable position from the spread of COVID-19.
