Minister Tito Karnavian: Micro Lockdown Will Be Applied If There Is COVID-19 Transmission During Holidays

Coordinating meeting of the Minister of Home Affairs Tito Karnavian with Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin. (Photo: Boyke Ledy Watra/Antara)

JAKARTA - Minister of Home Affairs, Tito Karnavian, said that the region could apply a micro "lockdown" if it found transmission of COVID-19 during the 2021 Christmas and 2022 New Year holiday periods.

Minister of Home Affairs, Tito Karnavian in Jakarta, Monday, said that actually the micro-lockdown had been implemented from the previous restriction periods, namely the micro PPKM (Community Activity Restrictions) regulation.

"Even if there are cases in that area, they (the task force and the local regional administration) can close or lockdown at that level, for example if it's in RT (Neighborhood Association), yes (lockdown) in that RT", he said as quoted by Antara, Monday, December 27. .

Then, Tito said, people affected by micro-restrictions would receive assistance as long as micro-PPKM was implemented in areas where the spread of COVID-19 was detected.

"Later we will help them with all kinds of social assistance while doing treatment for them, now we have conveyed this to friends of regional heads, especially the key to the regent and mayor so that they reactivate this micro PPKM", he said.

The Minister of Home Affairs explained that the micro PPKM model is supervision carried out at the smallest regional level, even at the RW and RT levels.

"While there are task forces in the sub-districts, so far the task force has only been at the district level before there was micro, then there are already sub-district and village levels, village levels, RW levels, and even RT levels", he said.

The task force for handling COVID-19 at the village or lurah level is supported by Babinsa, Babinkamtibmas, and community leaders there.

"They carry out surveillance in their respective environments. Their duties start from prevention, campaigning for health protocols, identifying if anyone is sick with COVID-19 symptoms, helping those who are isolated, helping to come to the hospital, even if there are cases in the area, they can do a closure or lockdown", he said.