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Home Minister Tito signals support for COVID-19 regional regulation in South Sulawesi

09 July 2020 13:20

MAKASSAR - Home Minister Tito Karnavian has declared his support for a regional regulation to be implemented by the South Sulawesi Provincial Government to curb the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in the province.

According to Mr Karnavian, South Sulawesi can issue a regional regulation on mandatory use of masks and impose sanctions in the form of fines and community service instead of imprisonment.

“There should be fines instead of imprisonment. Community service including cleaning can also be considered in order to produce a deterrent effect,” the former National Police Chief told the South Sulawesi COVID-19 Mitigation Task Force at the Governor’s Office on Wednesday (8/7) as quoted from Antara.

South Sulawesi Deputy Governor Andi Sudirman Sulaiman expressed a similar sentiment, saying that a regional regulation would be more effective in disciplining those who violate health protocols.

“In my view, regulations issued by the Governor, mayors, or regents wouldn’t be as effective in enforcing health protocols because they would not contain rules and sanctions. A more binding regional regulation would make a difference,” Mr Sulaiman said.

As of Wednesday, South Sulawesi has 6,349 confirmed COVID-19 cases with 2,214 recoveries and 208 deaths. The province is ranked third in overall case numbers behind East Java and Jakarta. (MS)

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