Maluku Government is not locking down its airports and seaports amid COVID-19. (Image via The Jakarta Post)

Maluku denies lockdown as an option, for now

The Provincial Government of Maluku said that for now, there has been no talk about locking down its region and accesses such as airport and seaport in Ambon in order to contain the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak in the nation.

Acting Head of Public Relations Bureau and Regional Secretary Protocol and also a member of the COVID-19 task force of Maluku Province, Melky Lohy, asserted that while it is safe, announcing lockdown is only determined by the central government. The notice from Maluku Government only limits any non-essential arrival to Maluku and departure from Maluku.

Speaking on Friday, Lohy denied the information saying that Ambon’s airport and seaport will be closed. He added that the Maluku Government is still waiting for any instruction from the President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo (Jokowi), to contain the COVID-19 outbreak.

Previously, speaking to the press at Bogor Palace on Monday, Jokowi made it clear that the regional government is not allowed to announce lockdown.

Lohy explained that people only need to follow what the central government instructs them to do, including the notice from the Maluku Government. For the sake of all people, please do physical distancing, said Lohy.

The Maluku Government also orders its civil servants to refrain from going outbound and teleworking mechanism. For the regional government, Lohy asserted that limiting the mobility of the people is the priority.

Source: https://bit.ly/2wLy3Gu