Pemalang And Jepara Are Still At Level 3, Reward: Take It Seriously, Accelerate Vaccines For The Elderly

Ganjar Pranowo (Photo via Central Java Provincial Government)

JAKARTA - Governor Ganjar Pranowo asked all regional heads to be careful following the existence of regions with PPKM level 3 status in Central Java.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has announced the status of PPKM in a number of regions in Indonesia. For Central Java, 8 regions are set to enter level 1, 25 districts/cities enter level 2 and two regions namely Pemalang and Jepara enter level 3.

"Everyone now has to be on standby and must be careful. So we are continuing to observe the possibility of a new variant. Thank God there is no such thing in Indonesia yet. So we are very careful," he said.

Regarding the PPKM status, Ganjar asked all regents/mayors to tighten the implementation of health protocols. No one should be careless, especially before the Christmas and New Year holidays.

"Everyone must be alert, so the health procedures must be tightened. Wherever the place is, don't relax it. If there are people who can carry out activities in public places, please adhere to the procedures. At least the masks should not be taken off," he stressed.

For areas whose level is still high, Ganjar asked that the tightening be done seriously. Both in markets, restaurants, tourist attractions, and others must be arranged so that the process is really implemented.

"And for areas with high levels, I ask for serious treatment. Therefore, there are conditions to reduce PPKM status, one of which is the acceleration of vaccination for the elderly. There are now many vaccines, so let's increase it," he said.

Especially for regions that are still level 3, the tightening of health protocol should not be ignored. If someone disobeys the health protocol, the officers should not hesitate to reprimand and even ask for a turn back.

"Including tourist attractions, it is also regulated. So yesterday I asked friends from the Tourism Office to prepare themselves. Moreover, this is approaching the year-end holidays, it is usually crowded. So I asked to regulate the amount, percentage, flow in accordance with the provisions," he said.

Anticipate Christmas and New Year

Ganjar also asked all regions in Central Java to anticipate a surge in community mobility ahead of Christmas and the new year. Everyone must prepare and anticipate.

"Until today, we haven't taken the policy. So we only ask for understanding from all community groups to celebrate Christmas and New Year in their respective places so that we can prevent it together," he explained.

However, his party together with the Kapolda have coordinated and prepared the worst scenarios. Blocking scenarios are possible if there is a large displacement later.

"So once again, if there are crowds and large movements occur, there is the potential for transmission. So I ask the whole community to stay in their respective areas during Christmas and New Year," he concluded.