The Indonesian government has extended the public activity restrictions, locally known as PPKM, in Java and Bali until Aug. 16, while reopening shopping centers as the number COVID-19 cases has declined in those islands, senior ministers said, Trend reports citing Xinhua.
"The trial of reopening shopping centers and malls will be carried out in capital Jakarta, Bandung (West Java), Surabaya (East Java), and Semarang (Central Java), with a maximum capacity of 25 percent over the next week," Coordinating Minister for Maritime and Investment Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan stated on Monday.
Under strict health protocols, those who are allowed to enter the shopping centers are only people aged from 13 to 69 years old who have been vaccinated.
Meanwhile, Coordinating Minister for the Economy Airlangga Hartarto said the policy on the restrictions outside Java and Bali was extended for two weeks until Aug. 23.
The surge in COVID-19 cases has shifted to areas outside Java and Bali since the last week of July, especially those in the provinces of East Kalimantan, North Sumatra, Papua, West Sumatra, and Riau.
The Southeast Asian country has so far recorded a total of 3,686,740 cases of COVID-19, with 3,129,661 recoveries and 108,571 deaths.