Emergency PPKM Extension Is Considered To Be More Decisive To Keep Health Facilities From Collapsing

JAKARTA - Emergency PPKM has been extended until July 25. Later, the government will gradually open the PPKM on July 26.

The head of the PPNI DPP COVID-19 Handling Team, Jajat Sudrajat, assessed that the extension of the Emergency PPKM should be applied more firmly in the field to avoid a wave of new cases that would fill hospitals.

"Yes, PPKM is even more strict, not just about regulations, applications in the field must be real, firm, and give sanctions indiscriminately," Jajat said in his statement, Wednesday, July 21.

The epidemiologist at Griffith University Australia, Dicky Budiman, admitted that he was worried that the extension of the implementation of the Emergency PPKM could not reduce the current collapse of health facilities and health workers in Indonesia.

Although the Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin plans to add resources and emergency hospitals, according to him, this will not necessarily answer the current state of health workers.

Meanwhile, University of Indonesia Epidemiologist Pandu Riono said that it was necessary to extend the Emergency PPKM because Indonesia's COVID-19 cases had not yet shown a significant decline.

Even so, regarding the extension of the Emergency PPKM until when, Pandu handed it over to the government.

"If you want it quickly (extension) you can, you can do it for a long time. If you want it fast, (the Emergency PPKM policy) it must really be done," he said.

Pandu explained that the government should conduct a number of evaluations. Not only about the Emergency PPKM policy, but also related to testing, tracing, to vaccination.

The issue of the extension of the Emergency PPKM was rejected by a number of traders and students. For Pandu, it is better for the government to focus on extending the Emergency PPKM for the sake of mutual health and safety.

"Yes, it's okay, let's just let it have an effect (on the income of traders), we are still fighting the virus, not pleasing them (traders). From the beginning, have people been educated? People are invited? the public must be taught, why can't they dine in, must be understood, how long (Emergency PPKM)?" he continued.

Pandu urged the government to immediately tighten. He said that the current Emergency PPKM was only a response to what had happened. Not anticipation. The response should have been done in early June.

"But we're always late. Now it's an emergency and everyone's confused," said Pandu.