The Bali provincial government says it has yet to consider imposing Large-Scale Social Restrictions (PSBB) policy, which requires approval from the central government, to curb the spread of COVID-19 here, claiming that it has already implemented similar steps to an extent.
Speaking to Kumparan yesterday, regional secretary of the Bali administration, Dewa Made Indra, said that the provincial government is open to implementing PSBB, should risks of the novel coronavirus on the island continue to escalate and require a stricter approach.
“Here in Bali we are already enforcing strict limitations. Substantially we have preceded this PSBB policy, but formally and according to the [new] government regulation of course we haven’t,” Indra said.
PSBB is designed to limit mobility within a region, essentially imposing the same social distancing measures that have already been seen in parts of Indonesia affected by the viral disease, though this includes additional measures and stricter enforcement.
The policy includes shuttering of all businesses and services except those deemed essential, and also banning app-based motorcycle taxis from picking up passengers, meaning they are only allowed to transport goods and deliver food to customers.
The official implementation requires regional governments to submit relevant data and reports regarding COVID-19 spread in their area to the Health Ministry, among other things, which will assess them and decide on whether or not to grant approval. The process has been criticized for being overly bureaucratic.
Indonesia’s capital Jakarta, which has the highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases, is set to become the country’s first region to officially enforce PSBB. As of this afternoon, the city reports 1,395 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, including 133 deaths and 69 recoveries.
Bali, for its part, has so far reported 43 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 19 recoveries and two deaths of foreign nationals.
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