Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan has declared a state of emergency for the next two weeks in the capital city in an effort to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

“After a meeting with the Jakarta Police chief, the Jakarta Military Command and the national COVID-19 task force, we declare today an emergency status for the next 14 days. This policy can be extended depending on the situation,” Anies said during a press briefing on Friday.

He urged all stakeholders – including corporations, social organizations and religious groups – to take drastic action to prevent the spread of the disease during the state of emergency.

"We closed all tourism spots last week. Starting from Monday, we'll close all entertainment venues. [...] We also urge all corporations to close down their offices and operational facilities and to arrange for their employees to work from home," the governor said.

For companies unable to close their offices, Anies urged them to reduce the number of employees working in the office to a minimum.

"Officers from the Jakarta Police, the Jakarta Military Command and the provincial administrations will be on the field on Monday to make sure everybody obeys the policy."

The governor added the city would also limit public transportation: “We’ll limit the number of passengers in each vehicle and reduce the operational hours to make sure that people only use public transport only for urgent matters.”

He said the administration was formulating a financial assistance scheme for the about 1.1 million Jakartans whose livelihoods depended on daily wages.

Anies assured residents that the city would have adequate food supplies during the state of emergency.

"We have enforced purchase limits in the capital city so that staple food prices won't skyrocket," he added. (sau/nal)