PPKM will still be extended to suppress the increase in COVID-19 (cases).
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Home Affairs Ministry urged people to intensify the implementation of health protocols and booster vaccination during the extended Public Activities Restrictions (PPKM) Level 1 enforcement in all regions due to the new COVID-19 variants.

"Strengthen the implementation of health protocols in the community, optimize the use of the PeduliLindungi application and continue to encourage (the coverage of) the third or booster vaccination," the director general of regional administration at the ministry, Safrizal, emphasized on Tuesday.

The number of daily additional COVID-19 cases had increased lately, especially in the Java and Bali region, reaching almost five thousand cases each day in early November 2022, as reported on the COVID-19 Handling Task Force’s site.

The director general said that considering the situation, the government decided to continue the implementation of PPKM Level 1 in all regions across Indonesia.

The extension of PPKM is stipulated in Instruction of the Home Affairs Minister (Inmendagri) Number 47 of 2022 on the implementation of PPKM in Java and Bali that comes into effect on November 8-21, 2022.

Meanwhile, the extension of PPKM in regions outside Java and Bali is regulated in Inmendagri Number 48 of 2022 that is in effect from November 8 to December 5, 2022.

"PPKM will still be extended to suppress the increase in COVID-19 (cases)," Safrizal remarked.

Although the new Omicron sub-variants had been found in Indonesia, the transmission of the variants was still relatively low, as the Health Ministry recorded a total of 12 cases of the XBB and XBB.1 Omicron sub-variants in Indonesia as of Friday (November 4, 2022).

Thus, it was suspected that the increase in the number of daily confirmed cases was due to the lack of public awareness on the implementation of health protocols, the director general stated.

"Hence, we urge all levels of local governments to not become careless and continue to stay vigilant to the threat of a spike in cases," he emphasized.

He affirmed that the instruction is in line with the Health Ministry's recommendation that disciplined health protocols and booster vaccination are powerful weapons to protect the community from the threat of the Omicron XBB sub-variants.

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Translator: Boyke Watra, Uyu Liman
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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