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According to Nikkei Asia, the Indonesian government is gradually easing its pandemic restrictions. Since September 7th, many tourist destinations on Java Island have reopened, and each diner is allowed to enjoy their meal at restaurants and eateries for approximately 60 minutes instead of the previous 30 minutes. Simultaneously, restaurants are operating at 50% capacity.
Yogyakarta province, a popular tourist destination in central Java, along with the capital Jakarta and many other major cities on the island, is also easing its lockdown restrictions. Many schools, shopping malls, and traditional markets are reopening with longer hours.
Java is the most populous island in Indonesia, with approximately 150 million people, accounting for over 50% of the country's population. Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, is located on the western side of Java.
The government of this country said that only a few small areas of Java island remain under Level 4 restrictions on community activities. Meanwhile, Bali, a popular international tourist destination in Indonesia, is maintaining Level 4 restrictions for another week.
Indonesia's move to ease restrictions comes as the number of new Covid-19 infections and deaths in the country has steadily decreased after an unprecedented outbreak in July caused by the Delta variant.
Airlangga Hartarto, the Minister of Economy, stated on September 6th: "President Joko Widodo emphasized that the pandemic is not over. The virus has not completely disappeared. We can only control the spread, so we still need to remain highly vigilant even though the number of infections is decreasing."
Over the past seven days, Indonesia has recorded a daily number of infections at 7,700, nearly half the number seen in mid-July. The number of deaths has also decreased by more than 600 per day during this period. On September 7th, Southeast Asia's most populous nation reported 4,413 new infections and 612 deaths. Since the outbreak began, the country has had over 4.1 million infections and 136,437 deaths.
As of September 6th, 59% of Jakarta's population had received both doses of the vaccine, but the national figure was still below 14%. According to Minister Hartarto, the President has instructed that vaccination be accelerated in remote provinces such as Papua – which is expected to host Indonesia's National Games in October – and in other provinces with low vaccination rates such as Aceh, West Sumatra, Southeast Sulawesi, and South Kalimantan.
