TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has officially extended the public activity restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic dubbed PPKM Level 4 until August 9, 2021. “PPKM brings improvements on the national scale compared to before,” he said at a press conference this Monday afternoon, August 2.

He acknowledged that despite the improvements in COVID-19 trends, the number of cases remained dynamic and fluctuating. Thus, he asked all parties to stay vigilant in dealing with the pandemic.

“Taking into account the developments of several indicators this week, the government has decided to continue implementing PPKM Level 4 from August 3 to 9 in certain regencies and cities,” he remarked.

The President also expressed his gratitude to the people who had supported the restrictions. “Both the people and the government have the same choice, which is to face health and economic threats,” he said. “That's why policy relaxations and restrictions must be balanced.”

The same policy, he added, could not be applied for a long period, and so all aspects must be considered while reviewing the current conditions.

The COVID-19 handling depended on three main pillars: the acceleration of vaccination in areas with a high number of cases, the application of the health protocols or 3M, and the 3T or testing, tracing, and treatment.

Previously, the government had extended PPKM Level 4 from July 26 to August 2. Unlike the previous COVID-19 restrictions known as Emergency PPKM, the government relaxed economic activities during the level-based restrictions. During PPKM Level 4, restaurants up to street vendors are allowed to serve dine-in customers for a limited time of 20 minutes per customer.

Read: PPKM Relaxation; People's Mobility Increases by 30 Percent

SYAILENDRA PERSADA