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COVID-19: Low-risk cities, regencies in West Java to ease restrictions
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A healthcare worker wearing protective gear takes a blood sample to test a man for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Bogor, West Java, on April 7. (REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan)
W
est Java Governor Ridwan Kamil has said that the province’s large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) will continue “proportionately” until May 29, with some cities and regencies to allow for more movement and economic activity if they are at lower risk of COVID-19 transmission.
In a press conference on Wednesday, Ridwan said that the evaluation of the province’s 27 cities and regencies was based on eight parameters laid out by the World Health Organization, which include the rate of new suspected COVID-19 cases, the recovery rate, the fatality rate, the case reproduction rate, the transmission rate, the movement rate and geographical risk.
A combined score of 21 to 24 puts a region in the low-risk category, 18 to 20 means moderate risk, 15 to 17 means quite severe, 12 to 14 means severe and 8 to 11 means critical.
The provincial administration assigned colors to each category. A city or regency labeled critical risk is categorized as a black zone, one with severe risk is a red zone, one with quite severe risk is a yellow zone, one with moderate risk is a blue zone and one with low risk is a green zone.
“There should be zero movement, a total lockdown [in a black zone]. So far, no [city or regency] has been categorized as a black zone,” Ridwan said.
The province’s red zones so far are Bekasi regency, Bekasi municipality and Cimahi municipality.
“These three cities and regencies should continue their PSBB policy,” Ridwan said, adding that economic activity should only be at 30 percent of their normal level.
Yellow zones are allowed to increase economic activity to around 60 percent of normal levels, while maintaining physical distancing.
Blue zones, namely West Bandung regency, Pangandaran regency, Sumedang regency, Garut regency and Sukabumi municipality, are allowed to reopen all public and commercial facilities but must ensure that there are no crowds.
“Crowds are allowed if the city or regency is categorized as a green zone. There are none so far,” Ridwan said.
Ridwan said that instructions on specific movement and economic activity was up to each regent or mayor.
“The important thing is for the activity level of a city to be at 30 percent or 60 percent. It’s up to them what those activities consist of,” he said.
Ridwan added that he had shared the evaluation results to the police and the Indonesian Military.
Siliwangi Military Commander Maj. Gen. Nugroho Budi Wiryanto said that his institution would add personnel and extend shifts at all checkpoints to help with the PSBB in West Java.
“We will have three shifts to block people from mudik [exodus],” he said.
West Java Police chief Insp. Gen. Rudy Sufahriadi said the police would disseminate information on the streets given that there was a 40 percent increase of traffic one week ahead of Idul Fitri.
Ridwan said the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients had decreased from 430 patients in April to 270 patients.
Isolation wards were only at 33 percent of capacity, he said, adding that the number of recovered patients had been increasing and the fatality rate had been decreasing.
According to the official government count, West Java recorded 1,962 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 124 deaths as of Thursday.
