Businesses Could Face Fines for Flouting Covid-19 Health Protocols in Indonesia

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Business establishments flouting Covid-19 health protocols during the current partial lockdown in Indonesia could face sanctions, including temporary closure.

The regulation took into effect August 4 following the signing of Presidential Instruction (Inpres) No. 6/2020 on increasing discipline and law enforcement of health protocols in the Covid-19 prevention and control.

“The sanctions comprise verbal or written warning, community service, administrative fine, temporary closure of business operations,” said the presidential instruction released by the Ministry of State Secretariat on its official website on August 5.

Also read:  Jakarta Regional Parliament Building Closed on Detection of Covid-19 Cluster

These sanctions will be applied to violators such as individuals, business people, managers, event organizers, or those responsible for public places and facilities. However, further rules related to the sanctions will be determined by each local administrators, it added.

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo previously said violators of health protocols should be sanctioned as many people fail to follow the health protocols such as wearing masks and implementing physical distancing in public places.

“We leave it up to governors to implement the sanctions based on the respective local wisdom of their regions. Sanctions are necessary,” President Jokowi said during the recent meeting with governors at the Bogor Presidential Palace on July 15.

At that time, Jokowi said that he would soon issue a presidential instruction as a legal umbrella for each region to make regulations.

(Writer: Ihsanuddin | Editor: Kristian Erdianto)

Source: https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2020/08/05/18573491/inpres-jokowi-tempat-usaha-yang-langgar-protokol-kesehatan-ditutup-sementara