Antara – Imaji Lasahido (Intern), Jakarta – The Ministry of Home Affairs is re-enforcing health protocols and booster vaccinations of Covid-19 in the extension of the implementation of restrictions on community activities (PPKM) in all regions in Indonesia.
"Re-enforcing the implementation of health protocols in the community to maximize the use of the PeduliLindungi application, and no less important is to continue to encourage booster vaccinations," said Director General of Regional Administration of the Ministry of Home Affairs Safrizal when contacted in Jakarta, Tuesday, November 8, 2022.
The cases of Covid-19 have recently increased, especially in Java and Bali. in early November, there were 5,000 cases. Safrizal said that starting from that, the government still issued a policy to extend the implementation of PPKM level 1 throughout Indonesia.
The extension of the PPKM is declared in the Instruction of the Minister of Home Affairs (Inmendagri) Number 47 of 2022 for PPKM of Java and Bali which will be valid from November 8 to November 21, 2022. Furthermore, Instruction Number 48 of 2022 for PPKM outside Java and Bali is applied from 8 to 5 December 2022.
Safrizal explained that the government still had to decide to extend the PPKM to curb the rate of increase in Covid-19. "Today we state that the PPKM will still be extended to suppress the rate of increase in Covid-19," said Safrizal.
The Omicron XBB sub-variant is said to be one of the causes of the increase in the number of Covid cases in Indonesia, but some experts say that the spreading of the Omicron XBB sub-variant in Indonesia is still relatively low.
He expresses suspicions that the increase in cases of Covid-19 is due to the lack of public awareness of the implementation of health protocols in the community. "We request all local governments not to be careless and continue to be alert to the threat in the increasing covid cases," said Safrizal.
According to Safrizal, the appeal is in line with what was conveyed by the Ministry of Health that the application of discipline in health protocols and third dose/booster vaccination can become powerful weapons for the community to protect themselves from the threat of the Omicron XBB sub-variant.