Gov’t to Implement Stricter Micro-Scale Public Activity Restriction in More Regions

Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto accompanied by Minister of Health Budi G. Sadikin delivering press statement at the Office of the President in Jakarta, Friday (26/03/2021) afternoon. (Photo: PR of Cabinet Secretariat/Agung)

In a bid to control the number of COVID-19 cases and to boost the effectiveness of handling measures at the national level, the Government has decided to extend micro-scale public activity restriction (PPKM) since 23 March 2021.

The fourth stage of micro-scale PPKM will begin on 5 April and its area of implementation has been expanded from 10 provinces to 15 provinces, namely Special Capital Region of Jakarta, Banten, West Java, Special Region of Yogyakarta, Central Java, East Java, Bali, North Sumatra, East Kalimantan, South Sulawesi, South Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, North Sulawesi, East Nusa Tenggara, and West Nusa Tenggara.

Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, who also helms the Committee for COVID-19 Handling and National Economic Recovery, said that the implementation of micro-scale PPKM will continue to be improved to effectively control the pandemic.

“We will certainly keep improving it and the President ordered the criteria to be stricter. Thus, after 5 April, we will make the criteria for micro-scale PPKM stricter,” he told the press after attending a limited meeting on COVID-19 pandemic handling and vaccination program follow-up, Friday (26/03), in Jakarta.

Airlangga added that the scope of micro-scale PPKM will be broadened following the existing parameters.

“Following the President’s directives, micro-scale PPKM will be implemented in more regions so after 5 April, we will implement it in five more provinces based on the available data,” he stated.

The Minister also spoke about the development of COVID-19 cases in Indonesia, adding that as of 25 March 2021, the rate of national active cases was 8.45 percent, better than the global rate at 17.06 percent.

Airlangga went on to say that Indonesia’s recovery rate was 88.8 percent, better than the global rate at 80.74 percent, while, the country’s mortality rate was 2.7 percent, a little higher than the global rate at 2.2 percent. (DND/UN) (DH/EP)