Micro-Scale Public Activity Restrictions More Effective to Curb Active COVID-19 Cases

President Jokowi meeting editors in chief of national media at Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, Wednesday (17/02/2021). (Photo: Press Bureau of Presidential Secretariat/Lukas)

The Government continues to take measures to control the COVID-19 pandemic through several regulations, including micro-scale public activity restrictions (PPKM).

The regulation that has been enforced since 9 February 2021 is based on the Government’s evaluation of the previous regulation on social restrictions with a larger scale.

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo explained the Government’s reason to implement social restrictions with a smaller scope to the editors in chief of national media at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, Wednesday (17/02/2021).

“Why did I say at the beginning of the week that the PPKM is ineffective? Because the curve did not flatten. But in the second (week), it is evident that it has decreased. In the third, it decreased again. Also, the number of active cases, if we remember, maybe three weeks ago, was still at 14 thousand or even 15 thousand. Now, since the past weeks, it is at 8 thousand-9 thousand,” the President said.

According to the President, small-scale restrictions will be more effective than large-scale restrictions, adding that if one person in one neighborhood is infected with COVID-19, then only that neighborhood should be quarantined.

“At first I actually put emphasis on micro-scale social restrictions. Because (large-scale social restrictions) are ineffective. When the red zone is only in one neighborhood, the whole city is locked down, restricted. The economy will be affected then. If one urban village is infected, then only that urban village should be isolated, quarantined, not the whole city,” he said.

Regulations similar to micro-scale PPKM have also been applied in other countries such as India, he added. According to the President, India managed to decrease the number of active cases not by implementing large-scale lockdowns but micro-scale lockdowns.

“Although at first India had a total lockdown. So, why did India change it? Apparently, the strategy is the same, micro-scale PPKM,” he explained.

The President underscored that Indonesia has the power to implement the regulation, namely the government apparatus up to the smallest units at the neighborhood level as well as village supervisory non-commissioned personnel (Babinsa) of the Indonesian Armed Forces and public order officers (Bhabinkamtibmas) of the Indonesian National Police.

The Head of State also expressed optimism that those apparatus would be very useful to assist the implementation of micro-scale PPKM.

“I notice that our power lies in villages and villages have Babinsa and Bhabinkamtibmas. These are all of the apparatus that we use now. Indeed, if our dashboard covers the neighborhood level, it will be very helpful,” he remarked. (Bureau of Press, Media, and Information/UN) (DH/EP)