Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Tuesday evening announced the extension of emergency mobility restrictions (PPKM) until July 25, 2021, saying they will be gradually relaxed from July 26 depending on the trend in coronavirus infections.
"If the trend of cases continues to decline, then on July 26, 2021, the government will gradually lift restrictions," said Widodo in a video statement streamed on the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube channel.
The government had earlier announced emergency mobility restrictions in provinces across Java and Bali, as well as 15 districts/cities outside the islands, from July 3 to July 20.
"The implementation of the emergency PPKM, which began on July 3, was an unavoidable policy that needed to be taken by the government, despite it being a tough decision to make," the President said.
The emergency PPKM policy has been implemented to cut the transmission of COVID-19 and reduce hospitalizations, he explained.
"This is so that (the demand) does not lead to hospital overcapacity and so that health treatments for patients with other critical illnesses are not disrupted, and their lives are not threatened," he added.
Data has shown that the number of cases and bed occupancy in hospitals have decreased following the implementation of the emergency PPKM, Widodo said.
"We always monitor and comprehend the dynamics on the ground, at the same time, we listen to those who are affected by the PPKM," he remarked.
If COVID-19 cases continue to fall within the additional five days of PPKM implementation, the government will begin rolling back restrictions, including by allowing traditional markets and small businesses to open for fixed hours that will be set by local governments, he informed.
According to data provided by the COVID-19 task force, the total number of COVID-19 cases in Indonesia has reached 2,950,058 as of July 20, 2021, with the addition of 38,325 cases on Tuesday. The number of active cases has reached 550,192, it added.
Meanwhile, the number of recovered patients increased by 29,791 on Tuesday, taking total COVID-19 recoveries to 2,323,666.
The number of deaths increased by 1,280, bringing the total death toll from COVID-19 in Indonesia to 76,200.
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