The Jakarta administration has denied reports that it was considering imposing full COVID-19 lockdowns in the city on weekends.

Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan said in a statement on Friday that the administration never had plans to impose such tight restrictions.

“The news about the lockdown has been an ongoing discourse in the public and the media, but we’re not considering […] imposing a weekend lockdown in Jakarta,” the governor said.

He said the administration was still enforcing both large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) and public activity restrictions (PPKM), which would likely be extended again in accordance with a directive from the central government.

Deputy Governor Ahmad Riza Patria was the first to publicly mention potential weekend lockdowns in Jakarta. He said on Tuesday that the administration was looking into imposing the policy on weekends in response to a suggestion by a House of Representatives lawmaker.

Read also: Jakarta considers weekend lockdowns as cases march upward

He was referring to National Mandate Party (PAN) lawmaker Saleh Daulay, who recommended that the capital to impose weekend lockdowns like those that had been put in place in Turkey. The politician said the policy was necessary because PPKM had been ineffective at curbing COVID-19 transmission.

PPKM was imposed in 77 regencies and cities of Java and Bali from Jan. 11 to 25 and was later extended to Feb. 8 in response to consistent increases in COVID-19 cases.

Turkey has imposed full weekend curfews since Dec. 4, 2020, with the latest taking place on Jan. 29. It has also imposed curfews on weekdays. Local media reported recently that authorities were planning to ease restrictions following a decrease in daily new cases.

Jakarta remains Indonesia’s COVID-19 epicenter. The city confirmed 2,379 new cases on Saturday, bringing its cumulative case tally to 289,612. It has also recorded a total of 4,529 COVID-19 deaths.

While Jakarta has shelved the idea of imposing a weekend lockdown, Central Java has imposed stricter restrictions on weekends. The policy, dubbed Jateng di Rumah Saja (Central Java stay at home), is to be enforced on Saturday and Sunday.

“Crowded places, tourist [destinations], shops and markets aren’t allowed to operate. This also offers us the chance to disinfect these places,” Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo said in a statement on Feb. 2.

He added that the policy had been made in response to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s remarks on Jan. 31. The President lamented the fact that PPKM was “not effective” because it had failed to restrict popular mobility.

Ganjar went on to say that several public service sectors, such as healthcare and public transportation, were exempt from the weekend lockdown policy.

However, several cities and regencies in the province have had their own interpretations of the weekend lockdown.

Kompas.com reported that the Jepara and Rembang administrations decided that traditional markets could stay open on the weekend, but only vendors selling staple foods would be allowed to operate. In Surakarta, malls, shops and retailers are allowed to open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. under health protocols.

Batang regent Wihaji said the administration would allow public places to remain open to allow small-scale traders to earn a living.

“We need to look at these residents’ moods. The weekend is their time to make a living,” Wihaji said on Wednesday, as quoted by kompas.com. “For those who don’t have to do any activities, please stay home. But we’re allowing people to go out to earn a living.”

On Saturday, Central Java confirmed 1,601 new cases, bringing the province’s cumulative case tally to 134,488. Health authorities have also recorded 5,631 deaths caused by the disease.

Read also: Overwhelmed by patients from nearby cities, Jakarta turns to central government

Experts said policies to impose a full lockdown on weekends would not be effective at preventing the spread of COVID-19 if authorities did not restrict people’s mobility on weekdays as well.

“The virus doesn’t have a day off,” said epidemiologist Ilham Akhsanu Ridlo of Airlangga University in Surabaya, East Java. He added that the government’s inconsistency in imposing COVID-19 restrictions and lack of enforcement had caused PPKM to have little to no impact.

“Some countries impose lockdowns effectively because they strengthen preventive measures at the same time,” Ilham said, urging Indonesian authorities to improve the country’s ability to test, trace and treat COVID-19.

Coordinating Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto said on Wednesday that the government would involve village supervisory non-commissioned officers (Babinsa) and village-assigned police officers (Bhabinkamtibmas) in efforts to trace the contacts of COVID-19 patients.

University of Indonesia epidemiologist Pandu Riono said Airlangga’s plan might not be effective because people “will be scared and will tend to lie about their health condition if we use security officers to trace contacts.” (trn)