T

he government and businesses are gearing up to gradually reopen the economy under health protocols to establish a so-called “new normal” amid the continued rise of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Indonesia.

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo visited Summarecon Mall in Bekasi, West Java, on Tuesday to take a look at the mall’s preparations for its upcoming reopening under the new normal health protocols.

“Starting today, TNI [the Indonesian Military] and police personnel will be deployed in crowded places to make sure society continues to abide by the health protocols,” he said at a press conference after the visit, adding that the personnel would be deployed in four provinces and 25 regencies and cities.

Jokowi said the basic reproduction number (R0) of COVID-19 had fallen below 1.0 in several provinces, indicating a decline in the transmission rate in those areas. The Health Ministry announced 415 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, bringing the total number of infections nationwide to 23,165, with 1,418 people dead.

On May 20, Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto signed a set of policies on the prevention and control of COVID-19 in offices and factories.

The policies set out requirements for businesses to be allowed to reopen. These include ensuring sufficient handwashing facilities, checking employees’ temperatures, requiring employees to wear masks, keeping 1-meter distance between employees at work, minimizing physical interaction with customers and avoiding the formation of crowds.

Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) deputy chairwoman Shinta Kamdani said on Tuesday that reopening – with health protocols – was necessary to help cash-strapped businesses recover. But with confirmed cases still increasing, Shinta acknowledged that employees returning to work could be exposed to the coronavirus.

“I don’t think we can wait until the pandemic is completely under control,” Shinta told The Jakarta Post in a phone interview. “We can only make an assessment based on businesses’ preparedness to implement the protocols in order to minimize the risks.”

Shinta said essential businesses had taken similar measures, however she thought small and medium businesses might find it harder to implement the protocols.

The government has been struggling to keep the economy afloat during the outbreak, which has battered Indonesia’s economic growth to a 19-year low of 2.97 percent in this year’s first quarter. The large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) meant to contain the spread of the virus in the epicenters of Greater Jakarta and Surabaya, East Java, among other regions, have forced businesses to close and left millions without jobs.

“However, it’s impossible to impose restrictions on workplaces forever. We should keep the wheels of our economy running,” Terawan said in a statement on the Health Ministry’s official website on Saturday. “That’s why workplaces must prepare to adapt to changes amid the COVID-19 situation, also known as the new normal.”

Lawmakers have questioned the government’s decision to ease the PSBB, saying COVID-19 cases and deaths continue to increase across many provinces.

“Streets, markets, malls, workplaces will be crowded again and the virus could continue to spread,” a member of House of Representatives Commission IX overseeing health affairs Saleh Daulay of the National Mandate Party (PAN), said on Tuesday.

He added that the implementation of the PSBB in several regions was not strict enough so that such guidance would not be helpful.

“For example, the Health Minister’s decree on offices and manufacturers’ operations. It contains the usual measures that have been implemented by the community. It’s not new and can’t be considered as a new policy to support the new normal,” he said. “The regulation only justifies people violating the PSBB.”

TNI chief Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto said approximately 1,800 places would be guarded by TNI and police personnel, including shopping malls, traditional markets, tourism spots and other places with high traffic.

“What we will do is ensure that health protocols are carried out with discipline,” he said.

The Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) said it was too early for the government to adjust to a new normal, especially in Jakarta, the country’s COVID-19 epicenter.