There Are No Regions Yet To Implement The PSBB Policy

Picture of the bustle of Tanah Abang Market in the midst of the COVID-19 emergency (Angga Nugraha / VOI)

JAKARTA - Although DKI Jakarta has submitted a permit for the determination of Large-Scale Social Restrictions (PSBB) to the Minister of Health, the Chairperson of the Task Force for the Acceleration of Handling COVID-19 Doni Monardo stated that until now there has been no approved area to assign this status.

"Not yet (any regions have been approved to determine the PSBB policy)," said Doni in a teleconference with journalists, Monday, April 6.

The chairman of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) said that many regions have submitted this policy to the Minister of Health. It's just that, for implementation it must be equipped with a plan of action and readiness.

This, said Doni, had also been conveyed by the Task Force for the Acceleration of Handling COVID-19 to the Minister of Health to then be conveyed to the regions.

"The Task Force has written a letter to the Minister of Health so that regions that have asked for PSBB permission to complete an action plan and make a readiness plan so that it is hoped that when the regions have started this program everything will run well," said Doni.

Previously reported, the Governor of DKI Jakarta Anies Baswedan admitted to sending a letter of proposal for the determination of the status of Large-Scale Social Restrictions (PSBB) to the Minister of Health (Menkes) Terawan Agus Putranto today. This is because President Joko Widodo has issued Government Regulation Number 21 of 2020 concerning Large-Scale Social Restrictions in the Context of Accelerating Handling of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

The request for the status permit was reported by Anies to the Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia, Ma'ruf Amin, in a meeting via video conference in their respective offices. "Today we will send a letter to the Minister of Health, asking the Minister of Health to immediately set the PSBB for Jakarta," said Anies, Thursday, April 2.

The determination of the PSBB status is important for Anies. This is because Anies must press the increase in the number of positive cases in DKI, which is the province with the highest number of cases in Indonesia. Meanwhile, to follow up on the determination of the public health emergency status and the PSBB policy, Minister of Health Terawan Agus Putranto issued a Minister of Health Regulation (PMK) Number 9 of 2020.

This regulation contains guidelines for Large-Scale Social Restrictions (PSBB) in the context of accelerating the handling of COVID-19. Broadly speaking, PMK PSBB regulates the criteria for determining the status of actions that can be taken by a region, be it province, district or city when obtaining PSBB status.