PAN Asks What Is Emergency PPKM? Don't Let The Results Be The Same, Create A New Policy Again

JAKARTA - The chairman of the PAN faction of the DPR, Saleh Partaonan Daulay, asked the government to clarify the definition of the Emergency Community Activity Restrictions (PPKM) which is planned to be implemented in Java-Bali soon.

"I am still waiting for the government's explanation regarding the plan to implement an emergency PPKM," Saleh said in a statement received by VOI, Wednesday, June 30.

According to him, the Emergency PPKM policy must really be able to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus in Indonesia. If not, said Saleh, the discourse and policies would not be much different from the micro-scale PPKM currently running.

"So what is Emergency PPKM? It needs a clear definition. Because, if it is the same as the previous PPKM, the results will be the same. The previous PPKM was judged unsuccessful. Because it didn't work, then a new policy was made. there must be an aspect that really distinguishes it from the previous policy," Saleh said.

The member of Commission IX of the DPR questioned why the government did not want to try the lockdown policy. At least, if you can't do a total lockdown, you can try a weekend lockdown.

Or maybe, he continued, it could also be combined between emergency PPKM and weekend lockdowns. This means that on weekdays, emergency PPKM is applied, while weekend lockdowns are applied at the end of the week.

According to Saleh, this combination will be a policy that can quickly reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

"The challenge is getting more difficult. More and more people are being exposed. Hospitals are getting full. Medical personnel are getting overwhelmed. All of this needs to be faced with really comprehensive policies," he explained.

Moreover, Saleh said, there are many people who think that government policies tend to only change names and terms. Meanwhile, at the practical level, the policy is not able to answer the existing problems.

"Of course this impression is very reasonable considering the many policies and terms that have been applied," said the legislator for the North Sumatra electoral district.

Saleh also encouraged the government to prepare all needs in dealing with various COVID-19 problems for some time to come.

Among them, the availability of treatment rooms for those who are exposed, medical personnel, testing and tracing, as well as medicines that are able to cure patients. Of course, the vaccination program must be accelerated.

"And don't forget, health protocols must be implemented more strictly and firmly. This process is one of the keys in dealing with COVID. On this matter, all experts agree. Therefore, health care must be the main guard," concluded Saleh.