Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia's Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian stated that any decision on imposing a lockdown on a certain region to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 comes under the authority of the central government.

This is in accordance with Law Number 6 of 2018 on health quarantine stipulating that quarantine for an entire area comes under the absolute control of the central government, specifically the president of the Republic of Indonesia.

"We have spoken to the (Jakarta) governor about a regional quarantine since it is related to economic aspects. Hence, in line with Law No. 6 of 2018 on Health Quarantine, applying regional restriction and social distancing on a large scale comes under the authority of the central government," Karnavian told the press at the Jakarta City Hall here on Tuesday.

This is since it is directly related to the country's monetary and fiscal affairs. Hence, if a lockdown will be imposed, regional leaders must coordinate this matter with President Joko Widodo and Chairman of the COVID-19 Response Task Force Doni Monardo.

Earlier, on Sunday, Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan stated that Jakarta should stop people from leaving the capital city or those coming in.

"Jakarta needs to shut down activities, both within and outside, and the arrival of people from within and outside Jakarta," he stated. Related news: Indonesia introduces large-scale social distancing measures
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Translator: Livia Kristianti, Fardah
Editor: Sri Haryati
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