The Control of Population Mobility since the Early Pandemic Era to the End of 2021: Lessons from Indonesia

Abstract

Background. COVID-19 has challenged every country to issue the policy to control its population mobility. This policy paper discusses policies related to controlling population mobility from 2020 to the end of 2021 issued by the government agencies under the authority of the central government in Indonesia. All of these policies are accessed from the official website, then identified, and made into the appropriate categories. Policy and Implications. Mobility control was applied in two periods, namely PSBB (the Large-Scale Social Restrictions) and PPKM (Community Activity Restriction Implementation). This control was carried out strictly, but along with the vaccination program development, the government started to loosen the control depending on the number of cases and the progress of the vaccination program in the country. In the middle of 2021, the government continued to loosen the control by making presentation of the vaccination card mandatory instead of getting the COVID-19 test done. Recommendations Mobility control during PSBB and PPKM in Indonesia has proven successful in controlling the transmission of Covid-19. This initiative may prove to be the best practice to control contagious diseases even in the future. Conclusions This pandemic and its control measures in Indonesia show the strong role of the state in controlling the pandemic, as the health of the population is always the main concern.