People are seen at the Bundaran Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, where the New Year's Eve is usually celebrated in Jakarta, on Dec. 31, 2022. - Reuters
JAKARTA, Jan 2 (Jakarta Post/ANN): Indonesia is inching toward an endemic phase of the Covid-19 outbreak after the government lifted all of the remaining COVID-19 restrictions just before the turn of the year, but epidemiologists say the war on the virus is far from over.
Removing the public activity restrictions (PPKM) means that the use of masks and the PeduliLindungi tracing app is no longer mandatory but advisable, particularly when using public transit and in crowds.
Before the Friday announcement, most mobility restrictions had already been removed for recipients of at least one booster vaccine shot, but authorities still required masks to be worn indoors and use PeduliLindungi when entering most public spaces.
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo announced on Friday that the PPKM was officially lifted, although the health emergency status of Covid-19 is still in place because the pandemic is not over yet and the World Health Organisation (WHO) still considers the coronavirus as a public health emergency of international concern.
However, the government will maintain a pandemic-era social aid programme despite the curbs ending, he added. Restrictions remain in place for foreign travellers entering Indonesia from some countries.
Since the onset of the pandemic in early 2020 more than 160,000 people have died from Covid-19 in Indonesia.
More than 174 million Indonesians have been fully vaccinated against the virus, with 68.5 million having received a third dose, according to health ministry data.
Meanwhile, Indonesia's manufacturing activity continued to expand in December, and at a faster pace than in November, as higher demand supported further growth in new orders, output, purchasing, and employment, survey results from S&P Global showed on Monday.
The seasonally adjusted Purchasing Managers' Index rose to 50.9 in December from 50.3 in November.
A reading above 50 indicates expansion in the sector. Both output and new orders rose at faster rates amid strong domestic demand. However, foreign demand fell again in December, weighed down by deterioration in global economic conditions.
Backlogged work accumulated at a marginally faster rate than in November, and supply constraints persisted. Manufactures raised their staffing levels for the sixth successive month.
On the price front, input price inflation eased below the series average in December. Nonetheless, the overall inflation rate remained marked, linked to higher raw material, fuel, and currency conversion costs. The selling price inflation softened to a 19-month low.
Looking ahead, business confidence dipped to its lowest level since May 2020 amid concerns over deteriorating global economic conditions.
