What are COVID-19 regulations in Indonesia without overlapping rules from central and regional governments?
Bali, which is in Level 4 of the central government’s Enforcement of Restrictions on Public Activities (PPKM) protocol until at least Sept. 13, was undergoing a trial run for the reopening of malls, which started yesterday. During the trial run, malls are allowed to operate at 50 percent capacity from 10am-9pm with strict health protocols, as written in a Ministerial Instruction recently issued by Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian.
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Among the regulations, restaurants and cafés located inside malls were only allowed to accept deliveries or take-aways orders during this period. That has changed, however, with the Bali provincial government publishing a circular on Sept. 7 to roll back some of the restrictions.
“Restaurants, cafés inside shopping centers/malls/trade centers can accept dine-in patrons with a maximum capacity of 25 percent and dining time of 30 minutes,” the circular, which was signed by Bali Governor Wayan Koster, reads.
Movie theaters, kids’ playing areas, and other entertainment facilities in malls must remain closed even with the new circular.
There is a trade-off with the new circular, however, in regards to visitor screening for mall entry. Under PPKM rules, those who have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine can enter Bali’s malls using the test and trace app PeduliLindungi. However, Koster’s circular states that only fully vaccinated visitors are allowed access into malls.
High-risk groups such as pregnant women, those below 12 and those above 70 are strictly prohibited from entering shopping centers.
