Jokowi: Regional Quarantine Is The Authority Of The Central Government

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo emphasized that the policy of determining the regional quarantine status stipulated in the Health Quarantine according to Law Number 6 of 2018 is the authority of the central government.

"I remind you that the policy on health quarantine including regional quarantine is the policy of the central government. It is not the authority of the regional government," Jokowi said in his presentation before the meeting with the COVID-19 Task Force, Monday, March 30.

Jokowi emphasized that the ministers must ensure that policies in the realm of the central government and regional governments do not differ from one another.

"Everything must be calculated, everything is calculated both from the health impacts and the existing socio-economic impacts," he said.

In addition, the former governor of DKI Jakarta also ordered the implementation of large-scale social restrictions to be implemented firmly and more discipline than before.

"I ask for a large-scale social restriction policy, physical distancing to be carried out more firmly, with discipline, and more effectively. So I have said that it needs to be accompanied by a civil emergency policy," he said.

DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan sent a request for regional quarantine aimed at preventing the spread of the corona virus or COVID-19 in his area. The letter numbered 143 dated 28 March 2020 and was received by the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud MD on Sunday, 29 March.

The reason Anies asked for a regional quarantine permit was because every day, Jakarta experienced a surge in positive corona virus patients. As of today, there have been 720 positive cases of COVID-19 in DKI.