PSSI chairman Mochamad Iriawan said the plan received approval from the national COVID-19 task force, under the condition that strict health protocols are implemented by all parties involved.

“We have devised health protocols with the help of a team of doctors and a research team at the PSSI, and we have allocated a budget for swab tests,” Iriawan said at a press conference on Wednesday.

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COVID-19 task force chief Doni Monardo, who was also at the press conference, said that even with the health protocols, spectators would not be allowed in stadiums because there was no way to guarantee their safety.

“There is a risk that [spectators] might have close contact with someone who has been exposed to COVID-19 at the stadium,” he said.

Doni, who is also the head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), expressed hope that soccer fans would enjoy the matches from home and adapt to the new health protocols.

He also advised that fans of the game set an example for others around them.

“Everyone in the soccer community should encourage two people every day to make behavioral changes in compliance with health protocols,” Doni said.