The lifting of community activity restrictions is also based on the high immunity of the population from a serosurvey.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo has said that community immunity against COVID-19 in Indonesia reached 98.5 percent in July 2022.

"The lifting of community activity restrictions is also based on the high immunity of the population from a serosurvey. If you see the figures in December 2021, it was 87.8 percent, in July 2022 it was 98.5 percent, meaning that our immunity as a community is at a very high rate," the President pointed out at the State Palace here on Friday.

Earlier the same day, President Widodo announced that the government has officially decided to lift community activity restrictions, which were stipulated in the Instructions of the Home Affairs Minister Numbers 50 and 51 of 2022. The revocation was effective from December 30, 2022.

The immunity figure was based on a serosurvey, a study conducted to gauge the total population in Indonesia that has developed antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

"And the rate of vaccinations is at 448,525,478 doses. This is also not a small figure," said the President.

According to the head of state, Indonesia is one of four G20 countries that have not experienced a surge in infections for 10–11 consecutive months.

"We remember when Delta (variant) peaked, we were at 56 thousand (cases) in July 2021; and in February 2022, again we experience the peak of the trend because the Omicron (variant) is at 64 thousand daily cases," Widodo said.

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However, the number of positive cases is coming under control. As of December 29, there were only 685 cases, while the death rate stood at 2.39 percent, the Bed Occupancy Ratio (BOR) at 4.79 percent, and daily ICU occupancy at hospitals at 2.97 percent.

"I have conveyed the figure that our immunity from the serosurvey was at 98 percent in July. That figure is what we use as a guideline that our community immunity is very good so there is no need like other countries we have to carry out another PCR at the airport," said the President.

This means that the decision to lift the restriction was based on scientific studies, which involved inputs from epidemiologists' on communal immunity. The policy was not something decided out of nowhere, he said.

"Everything has gone through studies, and taking into account developments from month to month, and this is our form of cautious measure, that is not to rush on lifting (the restrictions) at that time even though there was no surge in cases," he added.

However, even though the restrictions have been lifted, he stressed that the pandemic status is still in effect.

Widodo said the COVID-19 pandemic status is not set on a country-to-country basis—since it is a global problem, the World Health Organization is the one who determines the status of a public health emergency of international concern.

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Translator: Desca L N, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Suharto
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