Poor Public Communication Of The Minister And Jokowi's Strong Signal Extends Emergency PPKM

President Jokowi (PHOTO VIA ANTARA/BPMI Setpres)

JAKARTA - After the minister's poor communication regarding the extension of the emergency PPKM, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) gave a strong signal for the extension of the emergency PPKM.

This was conveyed by Jokowi in a virtual directive from regional heads throughout Indonesia which was broadcast via the Presidential Secretariat Youtube, Monday, July 19. The President admitted that he heard the aspiration to relax economic activities related to emergency PPKM and micro PPKM. But easing can only be done if COVID-19 cases are low.

“I understand that there are people's aspirations so that social and economic activities can be relaxed. This kind of thing can be done if cases of transmission are low, if chronic cases entering the hospital are also low," Jokowi said in a video uploaded to the Presidential Secretariat Youtube, Monday, July 19.

If the easing is carried out in a condition where COVID-19 cases are still high, Jokowi is worried that health facilities will collapse

“Imagine if the restrictions were relaxed, then the cases would rise again, and then the hospital would not be able to accommodate the existing patients. This will also cause our health facilities to collapse. Be careful with this too," he said.

Therefore, Jokowi asked regional heads to move in the field with strong commands down to the sub-district and village levels. It must be ensured that the prevention of the spread of COVID-19, especially the massive discipline of health protocols (prokes), is carried out.

"And most importantly, if the discipline of health protocols can be guaranteed, especially maintaining distance and masks. The only two keys are now accelerating vaccination, the second is discipline, the main process is masks, wearing masks," Jokowi continued.

In the opening of the directive to regional heads, Jokowi alluded to the COVID-19 case which will last a long time mainly because of the emergence of new variants. It takes a long breath for optimal handling of the corona virus.

"I ask the governors, regents, mayors who are supported by the Forkopimda ranks, that all of them focus on this problem, both the COVID-19 side and the economic side, and management and organization are key and I ask that all organizational machines be run as well as possible. We need strong field leadership to deal with the current pandemic," Jokowi said.

Jokowi's Directions for Regional Heads

President Jokowi asked regional heads to work hard in the field to ensure optimal handling of COVID-19. Regional heads were asked to check the readiness of handling COVID-19 from hospitals to disciplining residents to obey health protocols.

"Some actions in the field, the first is field action for prevention. Disciplined the community, following health protocols, wearing masks, keeping distance, not crowding, this is the key. The public must also know how to detect COVID-19 early, where to get medicine, where to consult," said Jokowi.

The most important thing at this time, said Jokowi, was the preparation of isolation places, especially for COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms. This preparation is requested by Jokowi at least at the sub-district level.

“Especially for densely populated areas, especially in cities. Because the field checks that I did (there is a place) 3 times 3 (meters) are inhabited by 4 people, this acceleration of transmission will be massive if no centralized isolation is prepared in the kelurahan or at least in the sub-district," Jokowi continued.

Meanwhile, the discipline of health procedures is also required to be regulated in detail regarding the implementation in markets, malls, factories and places of worship.

“Third, plan and prepare regional hospitals, including reserve hospitals and emergency hospitals. There must be anticipation in advance, at least there is planning. What if the hospital is full, don't let it be full, then it will be too late," he said.

"I ask the hospital to check properly, to control the field. Check the medicine is ready or not for how many days, how many weeks, how many months, control and check oxygen is ready or not (availability). Check the BOR capacity, because there is still a lot of hospital capacity that can be increased for COVID (handling)," Jokowi continued.

Jokowi said that in a number of areas, hospitals still set a figure of 20-30 percent of beds for COVID-19 patients from the total capacity.

"This can be increased by 40 (percent) or as in DKI 50 (percent), which is allocated to COVID (patients). This regional head must know what capacity, given how much COVID," said Jokowi.

Poor Communication of Minister Jokowi

Previously, Jokowi said that the option to extend the emergency PPKM had to be carefully studied. The decision on whether or not to extend the emergency PPKM must be seriously considered.

"This is a question from the community today, one important thing that we need to answer is whether the emergency PPKM will be extended or not? If you want it to be extended, how long? This is really a very sensitive matter, it must be decided with a clear mind, not to be mistaken," said Jokowi in the evaluation process of the emergency PPKM, Friday, July 16, whose video was uploaded to Youtube by the Presidential Secretariat, Saturday, July 17.

Previously, Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture (Menko PMK) Muhadjir Effendy said President Joko Widodo had decided to extend the implementation of the emergency community activity restrictions (PPKM) until the end of July.

"Earlier, the limited cabinet meeting that I attended when I was in Sukoharjo (Central Java) had been decided by the President to continue until the end of July this PPKM," said Muhadjir in Yogyakarta, quoted by Antara, Friday, July 16.

President Jokowi, said Muhadjir, also conveyed that the decision to extend the emergency PPKM has many risks, including how to balance between disciplining residents to obey health protocols according to PPKM standards with the distribution of social assistance.

One day after Muhadjir's statement, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said the government was still evaluating the implementation of the Emergency PPKM which had been running since July 3. Whether or not the emergency PPKM will be extended will be announced in 2-3 days.

"Currently we are evaluating the Emergency PPKM, whether a further extension of time is needed, we will report to the president, and I think in the next 2-3 days we will also officially announce it," said Coordinating Minister Luhut in a virtual press conference, Saturday, July 17th.

The Java-Bali COVID-19 Handling Coordinator said relaxation could be done if the case indicators were getting better.

"Incidentally, for the past 2 days, we have seen improvements. Therefore, in the 14-21 day period, we have entered that period. We see that there are several areas that have experienced a decline in community mobility quite well and the addition of cases has started to flatten and decrease, such as DKI Jakarta," he said.

"I see that Bali will also decrease its addition within the next 1 week although it will increase in the next 2-3 days. But if everything is consistent, I see that at the end of July our position will be better," he continued.