VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Jakarta Government will close 27 tourist sites starting Monday.

Based on the Jakarta Government in its twitter account @DKIJakarta, Sunday, the closure is in line with the re-implementation of the Large-Scale Social Restrictions (PSBB) policy.

Public tourist spot managed by the Jakarta Government is temporarily closed to protect residents from the risk of contracting COVID-19.

The account also explained that during the closing, the tourist area will be cleaned. They mentioned 27 tourist sites that will be closed:

1. National Monument (Monas) area;
2. Setu Babakan Betawi Cultural Center;
3. Dance and Karawitan Condet Lab;
4. Garden of Benjamin Sueb;
5. Wayang Orang Bharata;
6. Miss Tjitjih;
7. Arts training buildings in five urban areas;
8. The Jakarta Arts Building;
9. Jakarta History Museum;
10. Taman Prasasti Museum;
11. MH Thamrin Museum;
12 Fine Arts and Ceramics Museum;
13. Textile Museum;
14. Puppet Museum;
15. Maritime Museum;
16. Joang '45 Museum;
17. Ancol;
18. Old Town Area;
19. Ragunan Wildlife Park;
20. Pavilion DKI at TMII;
21. Planetarium Jakarta;
22. Taman Ismail Marzuki, which is still under renovation;
23. Cipir Island;
24. Kelor Island;
25. Onrust Island;
26. Proclamation Monument;
27. Wayang Orang Bharata.

This is not the first time this has happened. In mid-March 2020, these locations were closed to reduce the rate of transmission of COVID-19 and reopened during the Transitional PSBB.

Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan announced the implementation of the PSBB policy starting Monday. (Antaranews)

Head of the Covid-19 Task Force Doni Monardo said that the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government has never revoked it and is still imposing large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) as an effort to break the chain of the spread of COVID-19 in Jakarta.

"From the beginning, Jakarta government has never revoked the PSBB," he said in Jakarta, on Sunday.

He said the government had taken the right steps to issue PSBB rules through Presidential Regulation No.11 Year 2020, although the government also has the option of implementing Law No.6 of 2018 concerning Health Quarantine.

In that case, as long as each regional government took, the quarantine status is still compliant to the Presidential Regulation No. 11 Year 2020, and must be obeyed by all aspects.

"Jakarta has never changed its status once again. PSBB has always been active," he said.

Doni also said that before deciding to implement the PSBB, Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan always consulted to the central government through the COVID-19 Task Force, including with other relevant ministries/institutions.

If the data still shows an increase in cases, then each region, including Jakarta, will be asked not to relax regulations.

"Before the Jakarta Governor decided, he also always consulted with me. [Jakarta] status is still red. Red is high status, so don't relax [PSBB]," he said.

In providing recommendations to each region, including Jakarta Government, Doni also explicitly stated that implementation must always be based on valid data as a reference so that decisions taken are not wrong and make matters worse.

"So yesterday the implementation of the regulation was loosened a bit, now it is tightened, but remember, there is no change in status," he said.

He explained that the PSBB was not a regional quarantine or as it is better known as a "lockdown". "PSBB is PSBB, not 'lockdown'. The 'lockdown' is a prohibition [of all activities]," he said.

Previously, the government had taken steps to implement Presidential Decree No.11 of 2020 on PSBB, so that handling COVID-19 and increasing the economic activity can continue altogether.

"From the start, the president did not choose this option, because if he did, our people who work daily cannot earn income," he said.

Doni also explained that in the COVID-19 Task Force all the making and implementation of each policy had stages that had to be followed.

These stages include preconditions, such as simulation, "timing" or implementation at the right time, priority, central and regional coordination followed by monitoring and evaluation.

"I often communicate and routinely with all governors in all provinces to always exchange ideas. So if there is something that needs to be evaluated or needs to be changed, we take the steps. As long as this concept is running well, I don't think there's something to worry about," Doni said. (Antaranews)

The government will bear the expenses of asymptomatic COVID-19 patients undergoing self-isolation at two and three star hotels, Chief of the COVID-19 Task Force Doni Monardo said.

Several regions have opened self-isolation wards at public facilities such as sports hall, he said in an online press conference at Wisma Atlet in Jakarta on Saturday evening.

"The government through the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs and the Finance Ministry has prepared two and three star hotels for asymptomatic COVID-19 patients at the government's expense in accordance with the president's instruction," he said.

The COVID-17 task force, along with the central and regional governments will arrange the mechanism of the program. The task force will evaluate the program including the higher number of cases that needs the government's intervention, he said.

The government plans to bear expenses arising from the use of two-and three-star hotels for asymptomatic COVID-19 patients.

"We will continue to increase the capacity of beds, medical workers, and supporting facilities or medicines," Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said..

The number of health facilities nationwide is still adequate based on the bed occupancy rate at intensive care units (ICU) and self isolation wards.

On average the bed occupancy rate at ICU reached 46.11 percent and at self-isolation wards touched 47.88 percent at referral hospitals in eight provinces. (ANTARA)

Indonesia has urged Myanmar to resolve the root of Rohingya issue and stressed the need for the safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable repatriation of Rohingya to Myanmar's Rakhine State.

"Apart from that, we also stressed the need for responsibility sharing among parties to the 1951 Refugee Convention, international organizations and NGOs which have so far paid attention to the issue of irregular migrants to give concrete contributions," Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said in a virtual press conference on Saturday.

At various international forums including the 53rd ASEAN Ministerial Meeting, Indonesia continued to echo the issue of Rohingya people who have since 2017 fled their homes in Rakhine state to avoid violence by Myanmar military, she said.

This is because Rohingya refugees have become a regional issue since they had their citizenship rejected by the Myanmar government and migrated illegally from refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar,, Bangladesh, to other countries to find better life.

Many Rohingya residents often fell victim to human trafficking, and spent months adrift in the sea on their way to third countries. But the sail ended up in transit country such as Indonesia.

On Sept 7, 2020, Indonesia received another 296 Rohingya migrants in Gampong Ujong Blang, Lhokseumawe City, Aceh Province. The migrants comprised 105 men and 191 women most of them aged less than 18 years.

As per preliminary data, they came from Cox’s Bazaar,, with 119 of them admitting to securing refugee status from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, (UNHCR).(ANTARA)