TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Gerindra party politician Sandiaga Uno claimed that he supported Jakarta lockdown aimed at preventing the coronavirus from spreading further in the city. However, Sandiaga demanded the government to first distribute social assistance to the community before putting the capital in a quarantine.

"Don't reverse it. Distribute the aid first then apply partial lockdown," said Sandiaga in a statement via Google Meet on Thursday, March 26, 2020.

Sandiaga further suggested the government to reallocate the budget of IDR 200 trillion from the 2020 State Budget outside the funds set for mitigating the outbreak. Some IDR 50 trillion must be earmarked to help 40 percent of the country’s poor families, he added.

According to the former Jakarta deputy governor, the aid must be disbursed as soon as possible so that the community will be relaxed and they do not have to leave their house to work.

"Once people have cash, they will be calmer and not look for reasons to get out of their homes to make a living," Sandiaga added, assessing that Jakarta is ready to conduct a total quarantine.

Sandiaga asserted that the current total number of Covid-19 cases in Jakarta was not accurate and predicted a much higher figure when the mass coronavirus rapid test was carried out.

Sandiaga added that the rapid screening was one of the options to curb the widespread of the virus infection given there would likely be many cases unrecorded thus far.

"The number of [positive] cases will be higher than that of confirmed cases because we have difficulties in bringing an accurate test facility," Sandiaga Uno concluded.

BUDIARTI UTAMI PUTRI