PPKM Level 3 Status Field

Padang Barlius City Government COVID-19 Spokesperson (center). (ANTARA/Ikhwan Wahyudi)

PADANG - The city of Padang officially has the status of Level III Community Activity Restrictions (PPKM) referring to the Instruction of the Minister of Home Affairs (Inmendagri) Number 11 of 2022.

Spokesperson for the Padang COVID-19 Task Force, Barlius, confirmed that the status of Padang City had been increased to PPKM level 3 starting today.

Barlius said the increase in the PPKM level status for the City of Padang was due to an increase in COVID-19 cases in the City of Padang.

With the increase in the PPKM level III status, the Padang City Government will follow the rules in accordance with the Instructions of the Minister of Home Affairs, including there will be restrictions on community activities.

The Task Force reminded the people of Padang City to always wear masks and forbade residents to make crowds.

In addition to Padang City, the areas in West Sumatra that are designated as PPKM level III are Solok Regency, Padang Pariaman Regency, Agam Regency, Mentawai Islands Regency, Padang City, Padang Panjang City, and Bukittinggi City.

Meanwhile, based on data from the Padang Health Office on February 15, 2022, there were 365 additional new cases of COVID-19 with 48 people being treated and 1,315 undergoing self-isolation and 78 people recovered.

Previously, the Directorate General of Regional Administration of the Ministry of Home Affairs stated that the number of regions with level 3 status had increased in the Instruction of the Minister of Home Affairs and experienced an extension of the implementation of restrictions on community activities (PPKM).

Director General of Regional Administration of the Ministry of Home Affairs Safrizal ZA in a press statement said the government in a limited meeting had decided to extend the PPKM for all parts of Indonesia.

This is stated in the Instruction of the Minister of Home Affairs Number 10 of 2022 for the implementation of PPKM Java Bali which is valid from February 15-21, 2022, and the Instruction of the Minister of Home Affairs Number 11 of 2022 for the implementation of PPKM of non-Java Bali which is valid from February 15-28 2022.

"This change is made by looking at the development of existing cases and the level of vaccinations that have been carried out by the regional government," he said.

Safrizal said the number of regions with PPKM level 3 status in Java-Bali increased from 41 regions to 66 regions, as well as the regional status at level 2 PPKM from 57 regions to 58 regions.

He also stressed that activities carried out by the community should be carried out in conjunction with tightening vaccination requirements.

"We intend to tighten the vaccination requirements as one of the efforts so that our people want to be vaccinated," he said.

According to Safrizal, amid the increase in the positive number of COVID-19 due to the Omicron variant, the administration of vaccines was intensified to increase the body's immunity against the Corona virus.

"By vaccinating immediately and staying disciplined in implementing health protocols, it is hoped that the transmission of the Corona virus can be stopped immediately," he said.