TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo asserterd that policies regarding regional or local quarantines as efforts to mitigate the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) can only be authorized by the central government.

"Let me remind the public that policies regarding health quarantines, which include regional quarantines, can only be authorized by the central government, not regional administrations," said the president in opening the video conference meeting with the COVID-19 task force on Monday, March 30, 2020.

President Jokowi revealed that he has set in place a large-scale social restriction policy to combat the spread of coronavirus in Indonesia. He had also instructed his ministries to come up with the necessary implementing rules regarding this policy's adoption in each region.

"There must be clear implementing rules set in place to apply this mass-scale social restriction, which acts as guidance for provinces, regencies, and cities," said Jokowi said during the opening of the meeting.

Apart from the significant social restrictions to be set in place, Jokowi also mentioned about enacting a national civil emergency that is necessary to accompany the restrictions. These possible future policies were coined to enter a new phase in Indonesia's battle against the spread of the coronavirus or COVID-19.

EGI ADYATAMA