Social Restrictions Ends in Greater Surabaya, Mayor: This Is Harder, We Should Not Be Careless, Reckless

SURABAYA, KOMPAS.com – The enforcement of large-scale social restrictions, or locally known as PSBB, in Indonesia’s second-largest city of Surabaya has ended. Greater Surabaya, which includes Gresik Regency and Sidoarjo enters a transition period for the next two weeks.

Surabaya began to impose PSBB on April 24 for 14 days and had extended the measures for another 10 days until May 22 in the city to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The City’s Mayor Tri Rismaharini called on the residents to be more disciplined in complying with the health protocols after the PSBB came to an end.

"Yesterday many people told me that they wanted to go back to their normal life, but strict compliance with the health protocols. Let’s do it. We must maintain this and should not be reckless,” Risma said in a press conference at her official residence as quoted by Antara news agency last night.

In a meeting held at Gedung Negara Grahadi, three local administrators of greater Surabaya had agreed on not to extend the PSBB enforcement. Risma is grateful that the enforcement in Surabaya will not be extended.

She expressed appreciation to the East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa and the relevant officials of the East Java Province for trusting her and the people of Surabaya.

She called on the residents to keep their trust. The community should not be careless in the effort to prevent coronavirus from spreading. The mayor also asked the owners of hotels, restaurants, malls, and markets in Surabaya to maintain discipline in complying with health protocols.

All walks of life in Surabaya, she said, must prove themselves that they respect and obey the health protocols issued by the government.

“We should not be careless and reckless,” she said. She went on to say that the residents of Surabaya should not make into the thinking that they are free from the threat of the COVID-19. The pandemic is not over, she said.

Many patients are still being treated in hospitals. The health workers, she said, are still struggling in the frontline to provide treatment for the COVID-19 patients.