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Conflicting statements brings uncertainty over PPKM Darurat
The national COVID-19 task force reported 51,952 new confirmed infections on Saturday, bringing the cumulative confirmed tally to 2.8 million cases.
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Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Panjaitan speaks during a webinar about the government's efforts to promote locally made products in Jakarta on June 23 (23/6). (Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Ministry/Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Ministry)
T
he government is still mulling over whether to extend emergency public activity restrictions (PPKM Darurat), a senior minister has said, adding further uncertainty over the fate of the policy amid soaring daily COVID-19 infections and deaths across the country.
Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut B. Pandjaitan, who was tasked with coordinating the government’s COVID-19 response in PPKM Darurat areas, said he and other ministers were still evaluating the impact of the current emergency restrictions and would soon report to President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.
“We will inform our evaluations to the President. In two or three days, we will announce our decision [on PPKM Darurat],” Luhut said in a live-streamed press conference on Saturday.
He said the government recognized that it was “not easy” to make a decision on the PPKM Darurat policy. On one hand, mobility curbs were necessary to limit COVID-19 transmission, but on the other hand, the government was also aware of their impacts on the economy.
Luhut’s statement painted a different picture from claims made by Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Muhadjir Effendy, who said on Friday that Jokowi had already decided in a Cabinet meeting on the same day to extend PPKM Darurat until the end of this month.
The conflicting statements stoked further uncertainty over the emergency restrictions, which so far have failed to lower new infection figures to the government’s target of below 10,000 per day.
Read also: Fears linger emergency COVID-19 curbs may fall short
The national COVID-19 task force reported 51,952 new confirmed cases on Saturday, bringing the cumulative confirmed tally to 2.8 million cases. One thousand ninety-two people died from the disease on Saturday, the second-highest daily fatalities after a record-high of 1,205 deaths on Friday.
However, both figures are believed to be higher due to inadequate testing and tracing efforts outside Jakarta.
Luhut claimed that several regions such as Jakarta and Bali had already seen fewer public activities and decreased mobility and, therefore, could see the COVID-19 transmission curve flattening in the coming week.
“Cases could still go up, but if we are consistent, the conditions by the end of July will be better,” Luhut said.
In a rare break from his usually tough public persona, Luhut issued a public apology over the government’s shortcomings in the implementation of the PPKM Darurat policy.
“As the coordinator of PPKM Darurat, I apologize from the bottom of my heart to all Indonesians if our handling of PPKM Darurat across Java and Bali has not been optimal,” Luhut said.
The emergency policy, which requires nonessential workers to work from home and prohibits in-restaurant dining, among other measures, is set to end on Tuesday in conjunction with the Muslim holiday of Idul Adha (Day of Sacrifice). It was initially imposed in Java and Bali but was later expanded to include 15 other regions that recorded a significant increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases, among other parameters.
Luhut said some measures could be relaxed under certain criteria, such as a decline in new confirmed cases and bed occupancy rates (BOR).
