VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Feb. 9 - The implementation of restrictions on community activities (PPKM) in Java and Bali in two stages has not shown major results, but there have been several improvements, government spokesperson for COVID-19 handling, Prof. Wiku Adisasmito, said.

"What is important is that the occupancy of beds, both for isolation and for treatment, has decreased. In terms of number, the occupancy of beds in the hospital has decreased, although on the other hand, there has been an increase in bed capacity," he informed during a discussion held by the Task Force for COVID-19 Handling in Jakarta on Monday.

Another improvement is that the number of positive cases of COVID-19 has started to decline, although the figure is not large, he noted. Therefore, restrictions on community activities (PPKM) in Java and Bali must be further enforced, especially community discipline in implementing health protocols, he added.

According to Adisasmito, PPKM was, in principle, aimed at limiting community activities. Moreover, the number of cases had tended to increase from the end of 2020 to January, 2021, he said.

"PPKM is intended to reduce the rate of transmission so that cases can be controlled. There were several things that needed to be noted at that time (when the restrictions were announced), namely year-end holidays and high community activities," he pointed out.

Speaking on the initiatives taken by a number of regional heads who have limited community activities at certain times, Adisasmito cited the example of the Governor of Central Java, Ganjar Pranowo, who has appealed to the public to stay home on weekends.

In principle, restrictions on community activities must be carried out at all times to prevent transmission of COVID-19, he noted.

However, the regional head, Pranowo, did an evaluation and saw that there were certain periods that made a big contribution to transmission, he said.

“Maybe on Saturdays and Sundays, there will be high population mobility because they want to find entertainment, so they can be limited (by controlling public movement on those days). Controlling COVID-19 cannot be equated nationally because each region has its own characteristics," he remarked. (Antaranews)