Not the Time for Us to Make Peace

President Joko Widodo has asked the people to make peace with Covid-19. Relaxation of the large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) is being prepared as businesses seek to reopen their doors in July 2020.

KOMPAS/FERGANATA INDRA RIATMOKO

Some residents do not wear masks when shopping for various needs at the Kaponan Market, Pakis, Magelang, Central Java, on  Tuesday (12/5/2020). The appeal for the use of masks should be carried out by the whole community to reduce the potential spread of the Covid-19 outbreak.

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has asked the people to make peace with Covid-19. Relaxation of the large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) is being prepared as businesses seek to reopen their doors in July 2020. However, seeing the still-rising number of Covid-19 cases, loose PSBB implementation and lack of testing, now is not the time for us to make peace.

Entering May 2020, countries with Covid-19 are starting to relax their social restrictions after a period of regional lockdown. These include South Korea, Thailand and several European countries such as Italy and Germany. The Covid-19 infection curves in these countries are declining.