Gov’t to Restrict Public Activities After Eid Holiday

Chairman of COVID-19 Handling and National Economic Recovery Committee Airlangga Hartarto accompanied by Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin and Head of COVID-19 Task Force Doni Monardo delivers press statement, Monday (17/5), in Jakarta. (Photo: Cabinet Secretariat/Agung)

In a bid to prevent the spread of COVID-19 following Eid al-Fitr holiday, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has ordered his staff to strengthen the implementation of the Micro-Scale Public Activity Restrictions (PPKM Mikro).

“President Jokowi gave directives to strengthen the PPKM Micro both at the place where the public departed (from exodus) and at their destination,” said Chairman of COVID-19 Handling and National Economic Recovery Committee Airlangga Hartarto in Jakarta, Monday (17/5).

He said that even though the policy of mudik (exodus) ban had been implemented, there were still around 1.5 million people left the capital Jakarta to their hometown in Sumatra Island of around 440 thousand people and around 1.023 million people to various regions in Java Island.

On this Eid holiday, added Airlangga, there was also an increase in mobility, especially in agglomeration areas. “Some of which have high mobility, namely in North Maluku and West Sulawesi. North Maluku almost 100 percent (mobility), West Sulawesi 74 percent, and Gorontalo 72 percent. The ones with low mobility, among others, are in the Bali region,” he added.

In addition, there has also been an increase in visitors at tourist destinations since the tourism objects are still operating.

“We ordered the local governments to close the tourism objects in the Orange zone. There was a significant increase in the Orange zones in several cities a week before Eid and 4 days after Eid, the increase was 38-100 percent, especially in Jakarta, Subang and Pangandaran,” said Airlangga.

Furthermore, he explained the development of the national COVID-19 case which is still relatively under control. As of 16 May, the national active cases were 5.2 percent, lower than that of the global average of 11.09 percent. The recovery rate is 92.0 percent, better  than the global average of 86.83 percent. However the death rate stands at 2.8 percent, higher than that of the global rate of 2.07 percent.

“National active cases have decreased by 48.6 percent, from the peak of cases (last February 5) and active cases were minus 7,595 in the past week, so active cases are in the range of 90,800,” he explained.

Although the national active cases of COVID-19 are still relatively under control, there has been an increase in active cases in 15 provinces, namely Aceh, North Sumatra, West Sumatra, Riau, Jambi, Bangka Belitung Islands, Jakarta, Maluku, Banten, West Nusa Tenggara, North Maluku, Central Kalimantan, Central Sulawesi, South Sulawesi and Gorontalo.

“Compared to the first week of April, the weekly cases on Sumatra Island have an increasing trend and of course we are monitoring the mobility of the population after the Eid holiday from Sumatra to Java,” he said.

The increasing trend of active cases in a number of provinces in Sumatra, Airlangga added, also resulted in the bed occupancy rate (BOR) of isolation rooms and intensive care units (ICU) in which being higher than the national average of 29 percent. BOR in North Sumatra is 57 percent, Riau is 52 percent, Riau Islands is 49 percent, West Sumatra is 49 percent, South Sumatra is 47 percent, Bangka Belitung is 45 percent, Jambi is 43 percent, Lampung is 38 percent, and Aceh is 34 percent.

He went on to emphasize that the Government continues to monitor the increase in public mobility to reduce the spread of COVID-19, especially after Eid holiday.

“This is certainly what we will monitor in the next two weeks and hopefully there will be no increasing cases,” he said.

Meanwhile to anticipate the spread of COVID-19 during mudik return flow, he added, the Government implemented a random check for COVID-19 at a number of points heading to Jakarta.

“Especially for those from Sumatra, a mandatory check [COVID-19] will be carried out at Bakauheni Port and at their departure areas. We hope that those who return are free from COVID-19,” he said. (FID/UN) (EST/LW)