Indonesia on Tuesday deployed thousands of army and police personnel across the country to enforce social distancing rules after a record surge in infections in the past week cast doubt about plans to reopen Southeast Asia’s largest economy.
The Indonesian military and police will be activated to enforce social distancing measures under a “new normal” scenario, President Joko Widodo said on Tuesday.
Widodo made the comments after visiting a pharmacy and a food court at a partially closed mall in Bekasi city, on the outskirts of Jakarta.
“We want the military and the police to be at every crowd to further discipline the public, so they follow the protocol that we have agreed to in the large-scale social restrictions,” Widodo said, referring to a partial lockdown currently enforced in Bekasi and four out of 34 provinces.
“We want to remain productive, but safe from COVID-19,” he stated.
The military would ensure that people wear masks, keep a distance and avoid crowds, said the Indonesian leader, known popularly as Jokowi.
Widodo said that he had decided to visit Bekasi to see the preparations for life after the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions.
He indicated that given the lower incidence of COVID-19 community transmission in Bekasi, the city may soon be able to operate under a “new normal” scenario.
Authorities are stepping up surveillance amid a surge in cases and fears of a new wave of infections with the return of hundreds of thousands of people to cities after the Eid al-Fitr holidays.
Cases have soared in recent weeks with the total tally reaching 23,165 on Tuesday and death toll topping 1,400 even with almost 100 million people in the country’s most-populous provinces under partial lockdowns for much of this month.
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