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As COVID-19 cases soar, government to set new restrictions
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Healthcare workers take swab samples from COVID-19 patients at the emergency room of the Cengkareng Regional General Hospital in Jakarta on June 23. (Antara/Fauzan)
T
he government is set to introduce stricter restrictions in the fight against the second wave of COVID-19 infections, primarily driven by the more transmissible Delta variant, which has overwhelmed the healthcare system, an official has confirmed.
President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has appointed Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan to lead the implementation of the new set of measures, called emergency public activity restrictions (PPKM Darurat) in Java and Bali, said the minister’s spokesperson Jodi Mahardi in a statement on Tuesday. But Jodi did not specify how strict the measures would be. He said that they were currently being drafted and would be announced soon by the government.
Previously, The Straits Times quoted an anonymous member of House of Representatives Commission IX, which oversees health, who said that the new restrictions would include a full work-from-home policy for workers in non-essential sectors and a ban on dine-in services at restaurants.
The lawmaker added that domestic air travel would require proof of a negative PCR test result and would only be allowed for vaccinated individuals.
The Times also quoted an anonymous senior government official who said that the tightened restrictions would likely cover Java and Bali.
Read also: Indonesia sticks with ‘micro-lockdown’ amid COVID-19 tsunami
Current restrictions under the micro-public activity restrictions (PPKM Mikro) include limiting the capacity of the offices of government bodies and the private sector in COVID-19 high-risk areas, or red zones, to 25 percent and allowing the remaining workers to work from home. Restaurants and malls in red zones are allowed to serve dine-in customers at 25 percent capacity. They must operate shorter hours until 8 p.m., including for delivery and takeout services.
