Public health emergencies are extraordinary events, marked by the spread of infectious diseases that endanger health and have the potential to spread across regions or countries.
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·3 minutes read
DOK. SETPRES
President Joko Widodo gave a press statement by teleconference at Bogor Palace, West Java, Tuesday (31/3/2020).
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has made the long-awaited decision to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. Large-scale social restrictions have been chosen.
In fact, many figures, including regional heads, have urged the central government to impose a lockdown policy. A number of regional heads and residents have imposed a local lockdown policy, a limited local quarantine, by closing the entrances to their respective areas. President Jokowi did not buy into this idea.
The word “lockdown”, in the sense of closing off an area, was not chosen because it does not have currency in the Indonesian legal system. The President based his decision on Law No. 6/2018 regarding health quarantine. There are four policy choices that can be made if a situation requires health quarantine: home quarantine, hospital quarantine, area quarantine and large-scale social restrictions. Some people say a lockdown is in line with area quarantine.
According to Law No. 6/2018, large-scale social restrictions are restrictions on certain activities of residents in an area suspected of being infected with a disease or being contaminated to prevent the possibility of its spread. Article 59 of the law states that large-scale social restrictions are one of the possible public health emergency responses to prevent the spread of disease in a particular area.
Public health emergencies are extraordinary events, marked by the spread of infectious diseases that endanger health and have the potential to spread across regions or countries. The central government has the power to declare a health state of emergency. Large-scale social restrictions, as an alternative to a health emergency, can include temporary suspensions of school or in-office work, restrictions on religious activity and restrictions on activities in public places.
A woman passes by the Pasar Baru department store, Central Jakarta, Tuesday (31/3/2020). Two weeks after the call to work from home, the business district in Jakarta has become quiet. A number of appeals were submitted regarding the prevention of the spread of Covid-19.
Some Indonesians have been staying at home, “physical distancing”, for a week.
In implementing large-scale social restrictions, the government has coordinated with various parties, including the private sector, especially those who will be most affected by the policy. The central government has prepared government regulations to implement Law No. 6/2018. Area quarantine is not an option because its implementation in the field is not easy. The quarantined area must be sealed off and kept guarded. This policy can lead to new problems, including horizontal conflicts.
The government cannot work alone to curb the new coronavirus outbreak. Everyone must help by complying with large-scale social restrictions, not only for themselves and their families, but also for the safety of other citizens.
The state can act against citizens who do not comply with this policy. Moreover, the government is preparing a Government Regulation in Lieu of Law (Perppu) on state finance policies and financial system stability to help the people most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
