Home Minister Issues Circular on Prevention, Handling of COVID-19’s Omicron Variant

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Minister of Home Affairs has issued Circular Number 440/7183/SJ on Prevention and Handling of Coronavirus Disease 2019’s Omicron Variant and Enforcement of PeduliLindungi App.

In a bid to anticipate the spread of Omicron variant, Minister of Home Affairs through the Circular signed on December 21, 2021 instructs governors, regents, and mayors throughout the country to:

1. take measures to prevent and handle COVID-19, such as:
   1. intensify the implementation of micro public activity restrictions (PPKM) by fulfilling functions of COVID-19 Task Force in their respective regions including the provinces, regencies/municipalities, districts, sub-districts, villages, neighboring units. The functions are:
      1. prevention;
      2. handling;
      3. management;
      4. support to the implementation of COVID-19 handling.
   2. intensify testing and tracing of close contact of COVID-19 suspects in order to find new cases and prevent further spread in the community.
   3. impose stricter health protocols (wearing face mask, washing hands with soap or hand sanitizer, maintaining safe distance, limiting mobility, and avoiding crowds) and 3T measures (testing, tracing, treatment), as well as pay close attention to air circulation, duration, and distances when interacting with others in order to minimize the risk of virus transmission.
   4. coordinate with Regional Leadership Coordination Forum (Forkopimda) and other stakeholders including religious figures, prominent figures, mass organizations, hotel managers, managers of tourist destination spots, houses of worship, malls/shopping centers, businesses, and related sides based on characteristics of their respective regions in order to enforce discipline in complying with the provisions of laws and regulations.
   5. increase capacity of referral hospitals to anticipate a hike in COVID-19 cases by adding the number of isolation wards and ICU, as well as increasing the supply of medicines and medical oxygen.
   6. speed up vaccination drive to meet target population in their respective regions, namely 70 percent for the first doses and 60 percent for the second doses. Administer all types of COVID-19 vaccines we have, including CoronaVac/Sinovac-Bio Farma, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson&Johnson. Speed up vaccination drive of the second doses to narrow the gap between the coverage of first and second doses.
   7. commence vaccination for children aged 6-11 once first dose vaccination coverage reaches 70 percent of target population and first dose coverage for elderly reaches 60 percent by using CoronaVac/Sinovac-Bio Farma.
   8. coordinate with Ministry of Health to equip laboratories in their respective regions with Polymerase Chain Reaction(PCR) S Gene Target Failure (SGTF) facilities in the Omicron early detection measures and ensure that the sample will be tested using genome sequencing method.
2. optimize the use and enforcement of PeduliLindungi surveillance app through these following measures:
   1. enforce stricter health protocols and monitoring at places which attract crowds and public places by checking in from the app.
   2. public places that are obliged to enforce the use of PeduliLindungi app are, among others, public facility, entertainment facility, shopping center, restaurant, tourist attraction, and other crowded places.
   3. consistently enforce the use of PeduliLindungi app and issue regulation of regional heads regulating the obligation to use the app and sanctions to be imposed to management of public places that violates discipline in enforcement of the app. The sanctions include temporary revocation of operational permit of the places. (Ministry of Home Affairs PR/UN) (RAS/MMB)