Luhut: The Government Has Not Thought Of Conducting Emergency PPKM Again, Especially Lockdown

Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Panjaitan/ Screenshot

JAKARTA - Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, emphasized that the government has no plans to apply emergency brakes when COVID-19 starts to escalate again.

Luhut said that the community restriction policy was still using the PPKM (Community Activity Restrictions) leveling assessment. There has been no consideration for tightening such as implementing Emergency PPKM or lockdown.

"The government today confirmed that it will continue to use level assessments as a basis for tightening the community. Until now, the government has not thought about re-implementing Emergency PPKM, let alone going into lockdown", said Luhut at a PPKM evaluation press conference, Monday, January 24.

Luhut said the PPKM in Java-Bali was again extended for another week. Meanwhile, PPKM outside Java-Bali will be extended on January 31. In terms of the PPKM level, there has been an increase in the number of districts/cities entering level 1.

The Jabodetabek agglomeration areas, namely Jakarta, Bogor City, Bogor Regency, Depok City, Bekasi City, Bekasi Regency, Tangerang City, Tangerang Regency, and South Tangerang City for the next week will remain the same as before.

"In agglomeration, Jabodetabek is currently still at level 2. Details regarding the PPKM level can be seen in the Ministry of Home Affairs which will be published today", Luhut said.

Luhut revealed that the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in DKI Jakarta actually caused the condition of the capital city to be tightened to PPKM Level 3.

However, it turns out that the transmission of COVID-19 and the spread of the Omicron variant in DKI is not only in local transmission because COVID-19 cases from foreign travelers have been recorded in Jakarta.

"The theater of the pandemic war that occurred in DKI Jakarta caused the assessment of the province's situation to enter Level 3. However, in conducting the PPKM level assessment, the government consistently treats DKI as one unit of the Jabodetabek agglomeration area", said Luhut.

Therefore, Luhut asked every regional head and local Forkompimda to return to obeying the level assessment rules issued by the government and to comply with every policy that was set forth to prevent bad impacts in the future.