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ost state-owned enterprises (SOEs) have compiled their postrestriction or “new normal” business recovery protocols in preparation for the easing of large-scale social restrictions (PSBB).

SOEs Minister Erick Thohir said on Tuesday that 86 percent of the country’s more than 100 SOEs had finished compiling their protocols by Monday, which was the last day of the Idul Fitri holiday and the deadline stipulated in a previous circular letter.

“For those that are not ready, we will guide them to avoid making mistakes in the field,” the minister said during a live-broadcast Idul Fitri meet-and-greet.

Customers and SOEs will require between four and five months to adjust to and fine-tune “new normal” recovery protocols, he estimated. The exact protocols differ between industries but generally involve continued physical distancing and increased digitalization.

The ministry had ordered SOEs to prepare the protocols before regional administrations lifted their partial lockdowns, which were slated for different dates. Jakarta currently plans to end its partial lockdown on June 4, Surabaya in East Java on June 8 and Bandung city in West Java on May 29.

“SOEs are all over Indonesia. We cannot wait for every region to relax their PSBB before making protocols,” said Erick.

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, including ensuring sufficient handwashing facilities, checking employees’ temperatures, requiring employees to wear masks, keeping one meter of distance between employees at work, minimizing physical interaction with customers and avoiding the formation of crowds.

“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.”

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.”

However, she thought small and medium businesses might find it harder to implement the protocols than larger organizations.

Indonesian Shopping Center Association (APPBI) chairman Stefanus Ridwan said on Tuesday that shopping malls would limit the number of visitors to just half of the normal number and would maintain safe distances at restaurants in malls.

“I think 50 percent [of the normal visitors] is fine,” Stefanus told the Post. “Moreover, it is unlikely that everyone will go to the shopping malls at the early stage as some are probably still afraid and the economy has yet to recover.”

Statistics Indonesia (BPS) data shows that household consumption, which accounts for more than a half of the country’s economy, grew by just 2.84 percent in the first quarter, down from about 5 percent in the same period last year. As of April 20, more than 2 million people had lost their jobs. Others have decided to rein in their spending.

APPBI Jakarta chapter chairwoman Ellen Hidayat said that 60 malls in the capital would reopen for business on June 5 and four others would reopen on June 8 in line with the Jakarta gubernatorial regulation on PSBB extension, which will end on June 4. But Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan has refuted the claim, citing the possibility that the PSBB will be extended.