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Here to stay: Government needs ‘consistency’ to make PPKM work
Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin predicted that COVID-19 would be endemic within five or 10 years -- thus everyone must learn to live with it.
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Polcie officers divert traffic due to the closing of Jl. Sudirman in Purwokerto, Banyumas, Central Java on July 3, 2021. The Banyumas COVID-19 task force closed several major roads in the regency between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. during the emergency public activity restrictions (PPKM Darurat) from July 3 to 20 to curb the COVID-19 transmission. (Antara/Idhad Zakaria)
T
he government has insisted it will stick to its multi-tiered public activity restrictions (PPKM) regime until the pandemic is over, but the jury is out on whether the current problems plaguing the system will be ironed out before further COVID-19 spikes occur in the future.
These problems, as suggested by epidemiologists, include unreliable COVID-19 data, inconsistent use of health indicators to establish the severity level of restrictions and a laggard vaccination drive.
The government decision was announced by Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan on Monday, along with a PPKM extension for Java and Bali until Aug. 23.
The latest extension allows for some curbs to be eased even further in regions imposing level 4 restrictions, the strictest of the four-tiered PPKM system, such as allowing malls to open at 50 percent capacity for vaccinated people, up from the previous 25 percent capacity.
Luhut said that the relaxation was because new cases and hospitalizations had declined in Java over the past few weeks. But he also asked the public to remain cautious, warning that cases would rise again should the public neglect health protocols.
New cases and hospitalizations are generally trending downward on Java, while the figures in some areas outside Java, such as parts of Sumatra, Kalimantan and Sulawesi and Bali are worsening. This has occurred as the nationwide daily death tally remains stubbornly high at over 1,100 per day, with Central Java, West Java and East Java still being among the biggest contributors, although the number of deaths in Jakarta has dropped.
Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin predicted that COVID-19 would be endemic within five or 10 years -- thus everyone must learn to live with it. He said the government had to devise health protocols to balance between protecting public health and keeping the economy running, citing the opening of shopping malls for vaccinated visitors as an example.
