Regional Lockdown Needs To Be Considered

With the increasingly widespread COVID-19 transmission, the government needs to take a progressive measure to safeguard public safety. Imposing a regional quarantine or limited lockdown needs to be considered.

KOMPAS/AGUS SUSANTO

Officers of the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) check the disinfectant liquid in the emergency warehouse for mitigating COVID-19 at the PMI’s central office in South Jakarta on Friday (27/3/2020). The emergency logistics warehouse, among others, accommodated 120 water tankers that are modified into disinfecting vehicles, spraying equipment, disinfecting liquids and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for medical personnel.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS - The spread of the novel coronavirus, which has affected many parts of the country, requires more progressive measures from the government to protect people. One of the options to be considered is to impose a quarantine or a lockdown in areas that have become centers of the spread of COVID-19. However, careful preparation is needed before imposing the lockdown policy.

The fast response team for the handling of COVID-19 reported on Friday (3/27/2020) that the total number of confirmed cases had increased to 1,046 people and the death toll had risen to 87 people. These cases were found in 28 provinces, with the highest number of cases reported in Jakarta with 598 cases, followed by West Java with 98 cases, Banten with 84 cases and East Java with 66 cases.