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Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian issued Ministerial Instruction Number 2 of 2021 on the extension of restrictions on the movement of people (PPKM) in Java and Bali to avert the spread of COVID-19.

Chief of the Information Center at the Home Affairs Ministry Benni Irwan confirmed the ministerial instruction signed on January 22, 2021.

Restrictions on the movement of people in seven provinces are extended for another two weeks, starting on January 26

The seven provinces are Jakarta, West Java, Banten, Central Java, Yogyakarta, East Java, and Bali.

Restrictions on the movement of people will be intensified in prioritized districts and cities in the seven provinces.

The prioritized districts and cities in West Java are Bogor District, Bekasi District, Cimahi City, Bogor City, Depok City, Bekasi City, and Greater Bandung.

In Banten Province, those prioritized includes Tangerang District, Tangerang City, and South Tangerang City, while Greater Semarang Raya, Greater Banyumas, and Greater Surakarta, among others in Central Java; and Yogyakarta City, Bantul, Gunungkidul, Sleman, and Kulonprogo districts in Yogyakarta have been accorded priority.

Others prioritized comprise Greater Surabaya and Greater Malang in East Java and Badung District and Denpasar City in Bali.

The extension of restrictions on the movement of people is based on the result of monitoring conducted by the COVID-19 Handling and National Economic Recovery Committee (KPC-PEN) to the first phase of restrictions on the movement of people on January 11-25, 2021.

Through the instruction, the minister urged regional heads to streamline the restrictions on public activities that will potentially cause the spread of COVID-19 in accordance with their respective regions.

With the restrictions, the number of employees working from home must account for 75 percent of the total personnel, the number of dine-in visitors at restaurants must be at most 25 percent of the seating capacity, and the number of worshipers at places of worship must at the most be 50 percent of the capacity.

The Indonesian government has decided to extend restrictions on the movement of people in Java and Bali for another fortnight, from January 26 to February 8.

The government reached the decision during a limited meeting at the Presidential Palace on Thursday (Jan 14) after evaluating the first phase of such restrictions that took effect on January 11-25.

"Based on the evaluation, President (Joko Widodo) ordered the extension of restriction on the movement of people (for another two weeks) from January 26 to February 8," Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto noted during a virtual press conference here on last Thursday.

To this end, the home affairs minister will issue an instruction to governors in Java and Bali that are expected to evaluate the restrictions on the basis of specified parameters to decide whether they are still necessary in their respective provinces, Hartarto explained. (antaranews)