During the new PPKM in Indonesia, a new ruling allows governors to allocate the Covid-19 vaccines in their districts and municipalities, especially those who are short in supply.
It also instructs oxygen generators for mostly medical uses during the critical period.
Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said, “We have asked the industry minister to instruct oxygen producers to allocate 90 percent of their production for medical needs.”
The government has instructed each province to form a task force to ensure adequate supplies of oxygen, medical equipment, and pharmaceuticals. These task forces will coordinate with the health minister in case the supply is tight.
At the conference, Luhut revealed Covid-19 relief aid package would make a return with the restriction.
“The president has instructed us to not just curb the pandemic, but also help out the marginal communities. His instructions are loud and clear, which is to not let the people continue to suffer,” Luhut said.
The government hopes the strict social restrictions will help suppress the daily tally under the 10,000 mark per day.
Luhut remarks came as the country again saw the highest single-day rise in newly Covid-19 cases, with 24,836 new cases in the last 24 hours. It’s the seventh time the country beats its own record since June 1.
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said earlier in the day the government has no choice but to return to social restrictions due to a spike in new cases attributed to the Delta strain.
“Over the past few days, the pandemic has been growing at an alarming rate due to the new virus variant which is also a serious concern in many countries. This condition forces us to take stricter measures,” Jokowi said in a video message.
“[The restriction] will be even more restrictive than those that have been implemented so far,” Jokowi said.
