New COVID-19 restrictions in Java and Bali called PPKM, not PSBB: government

Amid some confusion regarding new COVID-19 restrictions in Indonesia, we now have some sense of clarity thanks to a new acronym. 

Yesterday, the central government said it will tighten restrictions throughout Java and Bali from Jan. 11 to at least Jan. 25. There were a lot of overlaps with the region-specific Large-Scale Social Restrictions (PSBB) protocol already in effect, begging the question if the central government’s new restrictions were just an updated version of PSBB. 

Coordinating Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto, who heads the COVID-19 Handling and Economic Recovery Committee, today clarified that the new set restrictions, which was prepared in its entirety by the central government, is called Pemberlakuan Pembatasan Kegiatan Masyarakat (Enforcement of Restrictions on Public Activities), or PPKM for short.

The Home Affairs Ministry today issued a ministerial instruction ordering governors to enforce PPKM in their respective regions. PPKM, in effect, will supersede PSBB.

Under PPKM, affected cities and regencies will be required to limit work from office capacity to 25 percent, resume online learning, and limit capacity at religious facilities to 50 percent during the two weeks. Furthermore, shopping malls will be required to close by 7pm, while restaurants are only allowed to serve dine-in customers amounting to a maximum 25 percent capacity of their venue.

Areas in which the restrictions are enforced must fulfill four parameters for high-risk COVID-19 transmission, namely those with a death rate above the national average of 3 percent, those with a recovery rate below the national average of 82 percent, those with active cases above the national average of 14 percent, and those with hospital occupancy rate average of more than 70 percent.

The regions that have met all the parameters are Jakarta; Bogor, Bogor regency, Depok, Bekasi, Bekasi regency, Bandung, West Bandung regency, and Cimahi in West Java; Tangerang, Tangerang regency, and South Tangerang in Banten; Semarang, Solo, and Banyumas in Central Java; Gunung Kidul regency, Sleman regency, and Kulonprogo in Yogyakarta; Malang and Surabaya in East Java; and Denpasar and Badung regency in Bali.