TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Governor of Jakarta Anies Baswedan on Sunday said the provincial government has decided to limit food sales in retail stores to avoid panic buying amid the full-alert status of COVID-19 pandemic.

"The association of retailers today have imposed limits on food sales to control panic buying which could also disrupt market's stability. We have already had an agreement (with the association)," Baswedan said in the Jakarta City Hall.

The curb, he added, will be effective this week, while calling people to only visit retail/department store when it is necessary.

"Allhamdulilah (all praise be to Allah), Jakarta's food stocks are secured. According to Bulog (state logistic agency), we have at least 320,000 tons of rice stored in the warehouses. It could last for the next two months," Baswedan remarked.

Amid the surge in the number of COVID-19 cases over the past week, the Jakarta provincial government has suggested the Indonesian government to restrict in-an-out access to the country's capital city.

"We couldn't decide this restriction on our own, it must be consulted with the head of the national disaster mitigation agency (BNPB)," he added.

ANTARA