Jakarta (VNA) – Indonesia have extended ongoing public activity restrictions (PPKM) at level 1-4 outside Java and Bali for two weeks from November 9 to 22.

Addressing a press briefing on November 8, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said that the decision was given despite the improved pandemic situation.

To date, none of the 27 localities outside Java and Bali have implemented the PPKM at level three or four. Only five provinces are applying the restrictions at level 2 and the remaining 22 provinces are implementing level-1 PPKM.

At the district/city level, the areas that have dropped the assessment to level 1 have also increased.

Since Indonesia started the PPKM at levels 1-4 on July 3, the country has extended the restrictions for 12 times.

The COVID-19 new infection number in the country has reduced since August. Since September 29, the country has seen less than 2,000 cases each day. However, the Indonesian Government has remained vigilant to the risk of another outbreak that is predicted to happen in the upcoming Christmas and New Year holidays.

The Indonesian Government is confident to reach the goal of COVID-19 vaccine coverage on 70 percent of the population by the end of this year.

The Southeast Asian country has launched the free COVID-19 vaccination campaign since January 13 with an aim to getting more than 208 million people vaccinated. As of November 8, the country had become the fifth country in the world in COVID-19 vaccine coverage with nearly 205 million people receiving COVID-19 vaccine shots, including over 79 million getting full two shots./.
VNA