TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Jakarta provincial government is considering the application of an entry and exit permit or SIKM as the city will be under the level 3 public mobility restriction (PPKM Level 3) during the Christmas and New Year holidays.

The SIKM requirement is planned to take effect from December 24, 2021, to January 2, 2022.

“We are considering it, so it has not been decided yet. Everything is still under discussion,” said Deputy Governor Ahmad Riza Patria in his office, Central Jakarta, Tuesday, November 24.

Riza explained the city administration could not yet make a decision given that the COVID-19 curbs will only last for one week. “We will announce it soon,” he said.

Jakarta previously mandated SIKM requirements for travelers entering and leaving the city during the large-scale public mobility restrictions or PSBB at the onset of the pandemic. The policy was revoked once positive cases plummeted.

The central government recently announced the enforcement of PPKM Level 3 for all regions in an effort to restrict people from traveling during the upcoming long holidays so as to curb the surge in COVID-19 cases in Indonesia.

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo acknowledged there were a number of parties rejecting the policy. “Because they really want the situation to back to normal,” he said during the limited meeting on PPKM evaluation at the Presidential Office, Monday, November 22.

Jokowi further said that he did not want the spike in COVID-19 cases to recur in Indonesia due to rising public mobility during Christmas and New Year holidays.

Read: Ombudsman Urges Jakarta to Enforce SIKM Policy to Prevent Work from Holiday

M JULNIS FIRMANSYAH