We have been living in the midst of a pandemic for almost two years. We also have gone through quite a number of PPKM (community activity restriction) phases. However, some Smartcitizens may still find it difficult to look for PPKM regulations information. Whether it's about finding accurate sources, or something else. But, you don't have to worry anymore. The Jakarta Provincial Government through Jakarta Smart City has released a new page on the Jakarta Covid-19 Response Team websitethat can make it easier for you to know the rules and visiting hours to public places during PPKM. This menu is called PPKM Policy.

Bringing the Solutions to Citizens' Problems

The PPKM Policy Menu was first released in January 2022. Behind its development, there is a contribution of so many people. One of them is the initiator of this menu, Yudhistira Nugraha, the Head of the Jakarta Smart City.

During the interview, Yudhistira explained the initial process of menu initiation. "At the beginning of the pandemic, we were more focused on monitoring and handling of Covid-19 cases. However, over time, cases became more under control and activities in public places began to resume. We feel the need to provide services that are needed by the community in the midst of this new phase.”

However, to provide solutions for the citizens, the Jakarta Smart City team must know the problems they are experiencing. How do we find it out? Of course, by research, research, and research.

Two Obstacles in Finding PPKM Information

Based on our internal research, it was found that there are two difficulties experienced by Jakartan in finding out PPKM information. First, is when to search for information sources. As you know, the PPKM regulations applied in Jakarta are changed periodically with different levels. Thus, every time the regulations change, you need to check the latest regulations so you can adjust your activities in public spaces.

So far, to be able to view these regulations, you must first access the Legal Documentation and Information Network (JDIH) website, look for the relevant Governor's Decree using the search feature, then open or download it. Another way is to look at PPKM information in the Jakarta Provincial Government social media posts. Imagine if the post has been uploaded for a long time, you have to bother yourself scrolling down the profile, only to find one post. Both of the methods take a lot of time and effort, so they are less efficient. Not to mention, you also need to make sure that the document/post contains the latest regulations.

The second problem is about the inconvenience in finding certain detailed information. When you open the Governor's Decree document that displays the latest PPKM regulations, you need to scroll down a few pages until you find a table containing the industrial sector and their respective regulations. There are many sectors with various sub-sectors that you have to look at one by one until you finally find the regulations of the sector you want. In addition, the table is also in landscape so you need to rotate the gadget first to read the details of the rules. And that is not even the last obstacle. If you want to see the PPKM regulations again in the next PPKM phase, you have to visit and re-search the regulations on the JDIH website/DKI Jakarta social media. Really inefficient, right?

The Purpose of New Menu Development

Moving on from the two citizens’ problems above, the Jakarta Smart City team began to determine the goals. What does the team need to do to help solve this problem? After a long consideration, the objectives of the innovation to be developed are determined. The objectives are as follows.

1. Provide citizens with an integrated platform to check PPKM regulations that are implemented at the time of access.
2. Provides an easy, fast, and interactive experience of regulations accessing and reading.

After knowing the goal, we finally can find out the focus of innovation, which is to provide integrated information and a hassle-free access and reading experience. But the next question is, what kind of platform do we have to create? 

Access PPKM Policy Page At Your Fingertips

Given that the first objective is to present integrated PPKM information, we decided to present the PPKM Policy menu on the Jakarta Covid-19 Response Team website which contains all PPKM information of the ongoing phase. The information includes basic regulations, operating/non-operating status of a public place, maximum capacity, provisions for check-in/check-out through JAKI, operating hours, sub-sectors, regulatory details per sector, as well as options for downloading regulatory documents. The digital format was chosen so that citizens can access the regulations from anywhere and at any time. Meanwhile, the Jakarta Covid-19 Response Team website was chosen because it has become an integrated platform regarding Covid-19, so that PPKM regulations as part of mitigating the spread of the virus can be accessed there.

Then, why do citizens can only access the ongoing PPKM regulations? Looking back at the obstacles, when residents have found the PPKM document, there is a possibility that the regulations in it have not been updated. After all, it's unlikely that citizens will access past PPKM regulations, right? That’s why this menu is designed around the current or latest phase of PPKM.

The PPKM Policy page is designed in such a way to achieve the second goal, which is to provide an easy, fast, and interactive access and reading experience. It starts by mentioning the official source of PPKM regulations at the beginning of the page. Then, you will be asked to choose a public place you want to visit.
 

From there, you will be notified whether the place is allowed to be visited or not during the ongoing PPKM period. If allowed, visiting rules will appear, such as maximum capacity, provisions for checking in/checking out through JAKI, operating hours, sub-sectors, detailed regulations per sector, and the option of downloading regulatory documents.
 

If it is said that you’re unable to visit the place, it means that the public place is not operating. This system that allows users to pick and choose the public places that they want to check  will make accessing information more personal. Users also no longer need to read rules from other sectors, so they can save time in getting PPKM information.

At the end of the page, you will be reminded again to always apply health protocols; wear masks, wash hands, maintain distance, limit mobility, avoid crowds, and avoid eating together. Because, even though we are now able to go to public places, it is undeniable that the pandemic still exists. In addition, you are also directed to report to the JAKI application if you find a PPKM violation during your activities.
 

Now, with the PPKM Policy menu on the Jakarta Covid-19 Response Team website, you don't need to trouble yourself by looking around the internet! Accessing PPKM regulations is as easy as opening a browser, typing https://corona.jakarta.go.id/en/ppkm, selecting a public place you want to visit, and the rules for visiting will appear immediately.

The development of this menu won’t stop here. The Jakarta Smart City team will continue creating new innovations based on your needs. Thus, please support us by using the PPKM Policy menu. Don't forget to follow the regulations as well. If you find a PPKM violation, report it to JAKI or contact the PPKM Hotline Post contact listed here. Last but not least, have fun exploring the new menu and hope it could help you!