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PRESIDENT Joko Widodo (Jokowi) officially announced that the implementation of restrictions on community activities (PPKM) in Java-Bali was extended from 24-30 August 2021. However, several areas were downgraded from level 4 to level 3.
“The government has decided that from August 24 to August 30, 2021, some regions can be lowered from level 4 to level 3,” Jokowi said in a press statement broadcast on the Presidential Secretariat’s Youtube channel, Monday (8/23).
Jokowi said that the status reduction to level 3 for the Java-Bali region was implemented in the Jabodetabek agglomeration, Greater Bandung, Greater Surabaya, and several other city regencies that could start implementing PPKM Level 3 on August 24-30 2021.
The President revealed that the government’s reason for lowering the PPKM status in several regions was because the trend of COVID-19 cases had continued to decline since the peak on July 15, 2021. Recovered cases also continued to show an increasing trend.
“The trend of COVID-19 cases continues to decline to reach 78%. In addition, the national BOR is at 33%,” he said. Nevertheless, Jokowi reminded that the COVID-19 pandemic is not over yet and, in several countries, currently experiencing a third wave with a significant addition of cases.
Meanwhile, the Level-based PPKM itself has been extended several times, namely on 21-25 July 2021, 26 July-2 August 2021, 3-9 August 2021, 10-16 August 2021 and finally 16-23 August 2021.
Based on data from the COVID-19 Handling Task Force on Monday (23/8) or on the last day of PPKM, the addition of positive COVID-19 cases nationally was below 10,000 cases. The task force recorded an increase of 9,604 positive cases bringing the total to 3,989,060 cases, while recovered cases increased by 24,758 cases bringing the total to 3,571,082. Meanwhile, the addition of death cases was finally below 1,000 cases, which was an increase of 1,030, bringing the total to 126,372 cases. [antaranews/photo special]
