Preferring Emergency PPKM, Luhut: All People Die During Lockdown

JAKARTA - Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Panjaitan, explained the differences in the implementation of Large-Scale Social Restrictions (PSBB), Implementation of Micro and Emergency Community Activity Restrictions (PPKM).

"PSBB was born from below, in one province he wanted to make it, submitted to the government, approved by the Ministry of Health", Luhut explained in Deddy Corbuzier's Youtube podcast uploaded on Tuesday, July 6.

"If PPKM is from the center, it can directly share the province or nationally. So two different things", he continued.

This was said by Luhut in response to Deddy's question, who questioned the government's reason for always changing the name of the application of the rules from PSBB, Micro PPKM, and Emergency PPKM to control the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Deddy wonders why the government doesn't use the term lockdown because the rules are almost the same.

According to Luhut, who is also the Deputy Chair of the COVID-19 Handling Committee, the implementation of the lockdown will make small people scream because it turns off economic activity. Therefore, the government has formulated a balanced formula so that people can breathe in the midst of controlling this pandemic.

"Lockdown, it's not that easy either. All the people die during the lockdown. So we're thinking about how we can balance what we can", Luhut explained.

"Well, can we still lockdown? It's not necessarily possible. That's why the decision-making process is not that simple. There are many other considerations before going", he continued.

Then, will there be another term besides Micro PPKM and Emergency PPKM? Luhut ensured that the two terms were used by the government.

"There is nothing strange, this micro is like in Jakarta, we just want to make some spots. Because that is also possible. Now we take a bigger emergency. Yes, there are only two PPKM Micro and Emergency PPKM", said Luhut.

Clarifying the Definition of Micro PPKM

Some time ago, the chairman of the House of Representatives of PAN faction, Saleh Partaonan Daulay, also asked the government to clarify the definition of the Emergency Community Activity Restriction (PPKM) which is planned to be implemented soon in Java-Bali.

"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, then the results will be the same. The previous PPKM was considered unsuccessful. Because it did not 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 House of Representatives Commission IX 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.