VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The president during an inspection of the distribution of social assistance in Johar Baru, Jakarta, Monday (May 18, 2020). ANTARA/HO-Press Bureau of the Presidential Secretariat/Luke

President Joko Widodo clarified that the government had yet to issue a policy to ease large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) implemented in Indonesia to thwart the transmission of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

"I want to emphasize that there is no policy on easing the PSBB," President Widodo stated in Jakarta on Monday.

The head of state delivered the statement during a limited meeting themed, "Accelerating the Handling of the COVID-19 Pandemic," with the participants comprising Vice President Ma'ruf Amin, the Indonesian Cabinet ministers and chairman of the Task Force for the Acceleration of Coronavirus Handling, as well as Head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Doni Monardo.

"What we have prepared is only a plan or an easing scenario that will be decided after the right timing is achieved and evaluating data and facts on the field. We must be vigilant and exercise caution amid plans to ease large-scale social restrictions (PSBB)," the president reiterated.

Currently, four provinces and 22 districts and cities have enforced PSBB to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

"In this week and the next, the government will continue to focus on the ban on returning to hometowns," the president remarked.

President Widodo also instructed National Police Chief General Pol. Idham Azis and TNI Commander Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto to strengthen the homecoming ban.

One of the instances of blatant violation of PSBB by the community was the influx of passengers at the Soekarno-Hatta Airport on Thursday, May 14, 2020.

PT Angkasa Pura II (Persero) acknowledged that prospective passengers, generally using Lion Air, had congregated at the travel document checkpoint at Terminal 2 of the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport at 4:00 WIB. However, AP II claimed that by around 5:00 WIB, a queue was no longer seen until Thursday afternoon.

On that day, the number of passengers increased to five thousand, the highest since May 7, 2020, when the flights resumed, although only 4,300 passengers were recorded a day before.

In addition, the community thronged street vendors at the Tanah Abang Market, Central Jakarta, on Sunday, May 17, despite the PSBB being applied in the Jakarta area.

The visitors flocked the street vendors to look at the merchandise, mostly clothing, some of which they brought for their children. The visitors seemed to not care a fig about the government's call for physical distancing.

As of Sunday (May 17), the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Indonesia had reached 17,514, with 4,129 people declared cured and 1,148 people succumbing to the disease, while the number of patients under surveillance (PDP) reached 35,800 and those in monitoring (ODP) totaled 270,876, with specimens of a total of 187,965 people tested.

Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko emphasized that the government would encounter difficulties in countering the COVID-19 pandemic in the absence of active participation of the public.

"Without public participation, the government will face difficulties in the fight against the pandemic," Moeldoko noted in a statement here on Monday.

The presidential chief of staff commended the initiative to edify and encourage the people to become actively involved in the fight against COVID-19, including in the development of the 10 Safe Houses application in several regions.

"Alhamdulillah (Thank God), the 10 Safe Houses Program has been developed in some cities across the country. Each of them works in accordance with the respective capacity," he remarked. (ATARA)