Citing National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) data, Airlangga said the spread of the disease had slowed in Central Java, Bali, Jakarta and Yogyakarta, where the COVID-19 basic reproduction number (R0) had fallen below 1.

Some areas in Sumatra, including Aceh, West Sumatra, Riau and Bangka Belitung, as well as some provinces in Sulawesi and Kalimantan, have also seen an R0 below 1, Airlangga said, adding that “the trend keeps decreasing”.

“Based on Bappenas data regarding R0, some areas are ready [to welcome a new normal], including Aceh, Riau [...] and Jakarta, by the end of their period of large-scale social restrictions [PSBB] on June 4,” Airlangga said.

The capital imposed PSBB on April 10 and has since extended the policy twice to curb the spread of the contagious disease.

Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan, however, previously refuted a claim that the city was going to reopen shopping centers in early June, citing the possibility that PSBB would be extended.

Bappenas chairman Suharso Monoarfa previously stated that Jakarta had the potential to become a model for the “new normal”, saying the capital had met all the requirements.

Suharso also said that Jakarta’s COVID-19 R0 had fallen below 1, indicating low transmission. The capital has more hospital beds for COVID-19 treatment than the number of new cases requiring hospital care and has a swab testing rate of more than 1,000 per 1 million people as required by the World Health Organization.

Earlier, lawmakers and activists questioned the government’s decision to ease PSBB, saying COVID-19 cases and deaths continued to increase across many provinces.

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

Saleh was referring to measures announced by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo on Tuesday and a decree on health protocols for the easing of restrictions by Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto announced over the weekend. The government has also begun discussing with experts the implementation of “new normal” policies in schools.

Saleh said the implementation of PSBB in several regions was not strict enough and that such guidance would not be helpful.

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.

“We should first resolve the widespread contagion of the virus before solving the economic effects,” YLKI chairman Tulus Abadi said, citing the potential for violations of new normal policies.

Syaiful Huda, chairman of House Commission X overseeing education, called on the government to be careful in planning for the reopening of schools as transmission rates remained high.

“Forcing schools to reopen will endanger the students and teachers […] Indonesian Doctors Association data shows that 129 children have died with COVID-19 symptoms and 14 children who have died tested positive for COVID-19 infection,” he said.

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