Statement of President of the Republic of Indonesia on the Latest Development of Emergency Restrictions (PPKM), 25 July 2021, Merdeka Palace, Jakarta

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.

Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

May prosperity be upon us all,

Om Swastiastu,

Namo Buddhaya,

Greetings of Virtue,

First and foremost, I would like to express my gratitude to all Indonesian people for your support for the activity restrictions policy that has been implemented in the last 23 days.

We are aware that we have a positive development in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic. The rate of new cases, the BOR [Bed Occupancy Rate], and the positivity rate began to show a declining trend, as happened in several provinces in the island of Java. Nevertheless, we must remain vigilant in addressing this trend of improvement. We must always be vigilant in tackling the highly contagious delta variant. Consideration of health aspects must be calculated carefully and at the same time the socio-economic aspects of the people, especially the fulfillment of daily needs, must also be prioritized.

Taking into account health aspects, economic aspects, and social dynamics, I have come to a decision to extend the implementation of the level-4 activity restrictions (PPKM Level 4) from 26 July to 2 August 2021. However, we will make some adjustments related to community activities and mobility, which will be implemented prudently in several stages, as follows:

Markets that sell daily basic needs are allowed to open as usual with strict health protocols. And markets that sell other than basic daily needs can be opened with a maximum capacity of 50 percent until 15:00. Further regulations will be issued by the regional governments.

Street vendors, grocery stores, cellular phone voucher agents or outlets, barbershops, laundry, hawkers, small vehicle repair shops, vehicle wash, and other similar small businesses are allowed to open with strict health protocols until 21.00. The technical provisions will be regulated by regional governments.

Food stalls, street vendors, hawker stalls, and similar business that do their business in an open space are allowed to open with strict health protocols until 20.00 and a maximum dining time for each visitor is 20 minutes.

Other technical matters will be explained by the Coordinating Minister and the relevant Ministers. To reduce the burden on the community due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government has also increased provision of social assistance for the community and assistance for micro and small businesses. A detailed explanation will be provided by the Coordinating Minister or the relevant Ministers.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I order the relevant Ministers to immediately take necessary measures to distribute vitamin and supplements to the public, provide medical support and doctor consultations for self-isolation [patients], as well as provide support for treatment in hospitals.

The death rate should be reduced as much as possible. And for areas that have a high mortality rate, hospital capacity and centralized isolation should be improved immediately, and the availability of oxygen should be provided immediately.

We must always be vigilant, because there is a possibility that the world will face another more infectious variant. To that end, I demand that testing [and] tracing measures should be improved and fast treatment response should be improved to reduce transmission rate and increase recovery rate. Implementation of strict health protocols as well as increased testing, tracing, and treatment measures will be the main pillars of handling COVID-19 pandemic. We must continue wearing a face mask and keeping a safe distance.

Finally, I invite all community members and all people to unite and work hand in hand against COVID-19. With our hard work, God willing, we can soon be free from COVID-19 and the socio-economic activities of our communities can return to normal.

I thank you.

Wassalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh. (RI/LW)