TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said the rising trend of Covid-19 cases must immediately be controlled through testing, tracing, enforcing isolation, and strengthening the enforcement of the micro-scale community activity restrictions (Micro PPKM).

“This surge in Covid-19 cases must be controlled immediately and should not hamper economic recovery efforts currently being carried out by the government together with business actors and the community,” Airlangga said in a statement in Jakarta, Sunday, June 13.

Airlangga, who is also the chairman of the National Covid-19 Handling and Economic Recovery Committee (PC-PEN), said it is necessary to add the bed capacity in Covid-19 hospitals by 30 to 40 percent given the rising trend of the occupancy rate of isolation beds and ICU beds, particularly in four main provinces of Java Island.

It is also vital in regencies or cities categorized in Covid-19 red zones with a high bed occupancy rate at above 60 percent.

“The Health Ministry with the regional governments will increase the capacity and evaluate it again over the next week,” Airlangga added.

Thus, the Covid-19 restriction on a micro-scale will be resumed to the tenth stage from June 15 to June 28 in accordance with the instruction of the Home Affairs Minister which is being finalized.

“Micro PPKM will be extended from June 15-28, and the policy will consider the risk zone of each region,” Airlangga said on Sunday.

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