Deputy Governor Riza Says Jakarta Can Drop PPKM Level 1, But Policy Is In The Central Government

ILLUSTRA TION BY VOI

JAKARTA - The central government is still deciding DKI Jakarta Province implement Community Activity Restrictions (PPKM) Level 2 for the next week. Jakarta has implemented PPKM Level 2 since March 7, 2022.

Deputy Governor of DKI Jakarta, Ahmad Riza Patria, assessed that Jakarta was worthy of a reduction in the assessment level to PPKM Level 1. Because COVID-19 cases continued to show a downward trend from the peak of the Omicron wave.

"I agree (Jakarta is entering PPKM Level 1). But that's the central government's policy. We'll just have to wait, hopefully, we can get to level 1 soon", said Riza at DKI City Hall, Central Jakarta, Tuesday, March 22.

However, Riza understands why Jakarta is still implementing PPKM Level 2. Riza said, in determining the assessment, the status of Jakarta PPKM must be uniform with other regencies/cities in one agglomeration area, namely Jabodetabek.

The Deputy Governor of DKI suspects that the COVID-19 conditions in several buffer areas will still have to apply PPKM Level 2 for some time to come.

"The central government sees not only Jakarta but also the regional cities around Jakarta. Jakarta can't be separated from Depok, Bogor, Tangerang, Bekasi, it can't be separated. Maybe that's one of the considerations", said Riza.

For information, the government has again extended the Java-Bali PPKM from March 22 to April 4. This extension was carried out based on the Instruction of the Minister of Home Affairs Number 18 of 2022.

In the Ministry of Home Affairs, the agglomeration areas of Greater Jakarta, Greater Surabaya, Greater Semarang, and Greater Malang apply PPKM Level 2.

The Director-General of Regional Administration of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Safrizal, explained that currently there are no more regions that are at PPKM Level 4. The reason is that currently, the number of COVID-19 cases has started to sag.

"The PPKM regulation at level 4 has been removed because there are no more regions that are in PPKM Level 4 than before, there were still seven regions", he said.

In addition to the decline for level 4, regions that implemented PPKM Level 3 also decreased from 66 regions to 39 regions. Meanwhile, for regions at level 2, there has been an increase from 55 regions to 83 regions and for PPKM Level 1 there are now 6 regions, whereas previously it was not.