Jakarta. The Health Ministry has issued a set of guidelines for businesses and companies seeking to reopen under the large-scale social restriction, or PSBB. 

Until today, four provinces and 28 municipalities and districts across Indonesia still have the restriction in place.

Jakarta, the first region in Indonesia to impose the rule, has already extended the PSBB three times and was hoping to end the last one on June 4. 

Under the PSBB, shops and offices are to close except those providing essential services such as healthcare, logistics, food and beverages, utilities and emergency responses.

"Workplaces where people gather and interact pose risks of new transmissions," Health Minister Agus Terawan Putranto said on the ministry's website. 

The ministry's circular, officially titled "Guidelines for Prevention and Control of Covid-19 in Office and Industrial Workplaces to Support Business Sustainability During Pandemic," has been issued to help businesses reopen after two months of being closed.

"We have to change how these workplaces operate and change our behaviors to face the 'new normal,'" Terawan said.

No Overtime or Third Shift

Among others, the guidelines require companies to establish their own Covid-19 "task force" led by a director responsible for enforcing the health protocol. 

Businesses have to which of their workers are "essential" and must come to the office and which of them can work from home.

The guidelines also advise against overtime and the "third shift" – working from midnight to dawn – that could risk lowering the workers' immune system.

"Only workers younger than 50 years old should be given a third shift, and only if it can't be avoided," Terawan said. 

Offices also have to provide more handwashing facilities, disinfect working areas every four hours and ensure good air circulation at all times. 

Employees must sit at least one meter apart at all times and be given vitamins and high-nutrient food. 

Workers are also advised to wear masks during their commute and while at work. 

Indonesia reported 526 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday, bringing its total number of cases to 22,271, the second-highest in Southeast Asia after Singapore.

There have been 1,372 confirmed deaths due to Covid-19 so far.

A total of 5,402 Covid-19 patients have recovered. 

Indonesia is now the only country in the region that has yet to see a slowdown in daily cases, according to data from Ourworldindata.org.