JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo said that public health is the number one thing in handling COVID-19 in Indonesia. However, according to him, prioritizing health does not mean sacrificing the economy.
Jokowi said, if handling COVID-19 sacrifices the economy, it is the same as sacrificing the lives of tens of millions of people.
Therefore, limiting total community mobilization such as regional quarantine or lockdown is not an option allowed by Jokowi.
"No, there is no need to worry about locking down provinces, locking down cities or locking districts because it will sacrifice people's lives," Jokowi said at the Bogor Presidential Palace, West Java, Saturday, October 3.
During the seven months of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jokowi admitted that he had learned many lessons related to handling the pandemic. For example, about adjusting social restrictions to reduce the number of virus transmission.
"I emphasize the importance of micro-scale social restrictions or mini lockdowns. We make it more focused, specific, focused, sharp, to overcome the COVID-19 problem, but not kill the economy and people's lives," he explained.
The former Governor of DKI asked the public not to think that the government was criticizing policy adjustments such as large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) being micro-scale social restrictions (PSBM).
"COVID-19 is a new problem, the whole world is the same. No country has yet dared to claim that it has found the best solution. Each country has different problems, different ways of handling it," Jokowi explained.
"So, we also have to keep adjusting, looking for the best way that best suits our situation," he continued.
Furthermore, Jokowi asked the public to continue to adhere to health protocols with 3M discipline, namely wearing mascara, maintaining distance, and washing hands.
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