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6th International Symposium on Green Technology for Value Chains 2022 IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1201 (2023) 012040 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1201/1/012040

Effect of the implementation of community activity restriction

policies during the COVID-19 pandemic on air quality

I M Ihsan1, A Ma’rufatin2,*, M A Salim3, A Rifai1, I N Ikhsan1, R Anjani1,

M Nishihashi4,5, S Hashimoto5, H Mukai5 and N Suwedi6
1
Research Center for Environmental and Clean Technology, National Research and
Innovation Agency, Kawasan Sains dan Teknologi BJ Habibie Gedung 820, Tangerang
Selatan 15314, Indonesia
2
Research Center for Hydrodynamic Technology, National Research and Innovation
Agency, Jl. Grafika Sekip No.2, Yogyakarta 55284, Indonesia
3
Research Center for Electronics, National Research and Innovation Agency, Kawasan
Sains dan Teknologi BJ Habibie Gedung 254, Tangerang Selatan 15314, Indonesia
4
Meteorological Research Institute, 1-1 Nagamine, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0052, Japan
5
National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-
8506, Japan
6
Research Center for Geospatial, National Research and Innovation Agency, Kawasan
Sains dan Teknologi Soekarno, Cibinong 16911, Indonesia
*E-mail: anies.marufatin@brin.go.id

Abstract. The Indonesian government implemented restrictions on social activities to reduce the
spread of the COVID-19 virus. Limiting activities reduced transportation and industrial
activities, so it was suspected that it could affect air quality in Serpong. This research aimed to
analyze PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations before, during, and easing of the restrictions on COVID-
19. In addition, this research also examined the correlation between pollutant concentration
levels and precipitation. PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations and precipitation data were obtained
from real-time and continuous measurements from January 2020 to August 2022. The analysis
used was descriptive, comparison, and correlation. The comparison analysis to determine
particulate concentration before activity restrictions, first Large-Scale Social Restrictions
(LSSR-1), LSSR-New normal, LSSR-Transition period, Emergency Community Activities
Restriction Enforcement (Emergency CARE), and easing of COVID-19 restrictions. The
analysis shows that the average concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 during the measurement period
were about 33 μg/m3 and 56 μg/m3, respectively. Comparative analysis indicates differences in
PM2.5 concentrations between before the activity restrictions were imposed and LSSR-1, LSSR-
New Normal, Emergency CARE, and the easing of COVID-19 restrictions. In addition, there
was a difference in the average PM10 concentration between before activity restrictions and
LSSR-New normal and emergency CARE. Correlation analysis shows a weak relationship
between precipitation and PM concentrations in the representative wet and dry months.
Keywords: air quality; community activity restriction; COVID-19; PM2.5; PM10

1. Introduction
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak began in China and spread rapidly across several
countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared it a global pandemic [1]. Various
interventions, including travel restrictions, have been introduced in various countries to curb the disease

Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence. Any further distribution
of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.
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6th International Symposium on Green Technology for Value Chains 2022 IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1201 (2023) 012040 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1201/1/012040

from spreading from its source and have shown to be one of the most successful response strategies [2].
The first case of COVID-19 in Indonesia was confirmed on March 2, 2020. The Indonesian government
has imposed a strategy through activity restrictions to control outspread throughout the country. Activity
restrictions include school and work activities, religious activities, and other activities in public places.
The government implemented the first Large-Scale Social Restrictions (LSSR) or Pembatasan Sosial
Berskala Besar (PSBB) policy on April 10–23, 2020, in Jakarta, West Java, and Banten Provinces. The
disease spread rapidly and increased sharply. The follow-up approach was the extended period following
the number of COVID-19 cases. A transitional LSSR was enforced after the long-term lockdown on
June 5, 2020, allowing activities in public places with strict health protocols to face the new normal
phase. On January 26, 2021, the Indonesian government implemented other policy restrictions in Java-
Bali regions named Emergency Community Activities Restrictions Enforcement (CARE) or
Pemberlakuan Pembatasan Kegiatan Masyarakat Darurat (PPKM Darurat). The regulations changed
dynamically between emergency CARE, micro-CARE, and leveled CARE (levels 1–4) [3]. The CARE
regulations were still being implemented until August 2022 at various levels according to the condition
of each region. Still, activities in public areas, in general, had begun to be similar to before the pandemic
occurred.
Recent studies have found that social distancing strategies improve air quality [4]. Numerous
research studies previously have shown that human activities, including transport and industrial sectors,
are the leading causes of air pollution. Many places witnessed a significant reduction in air pollution as
a probable side effect of activity restriction. Pollutant levels in countries such as China, India, and
Pakistan have reportedly decreased during the COVID-19 outbreak [5]. Rodriguez-Urrego and
Rodriguez-Urrego [6] found that pollutants decreased, with the highest reductions occurring in Africa,
Asia, and America. Bao and Zhang [2] in their research stated that activity restrictions reduced pollutants
in 44 cities in China. In several big cities in Indonesia, such as Makassar, Palembang, Semarang, and
Jakarta, the concentration of particulates decreased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic [7].
The spread of pollutants in the atmosphere is influenced by the level of population activities,
meteorological parameters, and the region's topography. It is expected that meteorological parameters
such as precipitation, wind speed, wind direction, air temperature, relative humidity, and global radiation
substantially impact pollution, which can alter the dilution and concentration of pollutants [8]. Pollution
levels are suspected to decrease during windy and wet conditions, which can scatter, wash, and clean
the ambient air [9].
Among the pollutants, the primary contaminant causing the environmental issue is atmospheric
particulate matter (PM) [10]. Previous studies have found a negative correlation between precipitation
and concentration of PM in the United States [11], Nigeria [12], South Korea [13], and France [9]. The
negative correlation might indicate that rain washing reduces pollution. Rainfall can improve air quality
because it scavenges pollutants from the air and causes them to settle on the ground due to gravity [14].
Human-related activities and meteorological parameters are influential factors in determining
pollutant concentrations in the atmosphere. Therefore, it is required to compare pollutant concentrations
before and after the implementation of the community activity restrictions policy was implemented.
Additionally, the correlation between pollutant concentration and precipitation was calculated,
describing the relationship between rainfall and PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations.

2. Methods

2.1. Measurement site description

The study was conducted in the suburb of Greater Jakarta (Jabodetabek) at latitude 6°21’ S and longitude
106°40’ E, as shown in Figure 1. This area was close to the heavily trafficked Bogor-Tangerang national
route, with less than 1 km separation between the measurement instrument and the main road.
Furthermore, the measurement site was located around 3 km from Serpong's industrial region. This study
utilized data on PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations and precipitation from January 2020 to August 2022.
Measurement of PM2.5, PM10, and precipitation was conducted in an observation site for greenhouse

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6th International Symposium on Green Technology for Value Chains 2022 IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1201 (2023) 012040 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1201/1/012040

gases (GHGs) and air quality monitoring, which was installed on the rooftop of Geostech 820 Building,
BJ Habibie Science and Technology Area (Puspiptek), Serpong, South Tangerang, as shown in Figure
2 and Figure 3. The monitoring site was one of the three ground-based comprehensive monitoring
systems of GHGs and air pollutants installed around Jakarta [15].

Figure 1. Location of greenhouse gases and air quality monitoring site in Serpong.

Figure 2. ACSA-14 instrument. Figure 3. Weather sensor

Measurements of PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations were carried out continuously using a Continuous
Dichotomous Aerosol Chemical Speciation Analyzer (ACSA-14: Kimoto Electric Co., Ltd., Japan). The
ACSA-14 instrument displayed measurement results every three hours using the beta-ray attenuation
method, one of the conventional methods for measuring PM2.5 and PM10. The weather sensor WXT520,
VAISALA recorded meteorological parameters including precipitation data every minute.
The observation tool of PM2.5 and PM10 was equipped with a virtual impactor, PTFE
(polytetrafluoroethylene) filter, and beta gauges. The virtual impactor functioned to separate aerosols
that entered the system into PM2.5 and PM10. Tape-type PTFE filters and beta gauges were used for
sampling and measurements of the beta signal, which progressively weakened linearly with the mass of
PM accumulated in the PTFE filter. A small portion of the fine particle in total flow was filtered through
the coarse side, therefore, a correction was made after the collection to calculate PM2.5 and PM10.

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6th International Symposium on Green Technology for Value Chains 2022 IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1201 (2023) 012040 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1201/1/012040

2.2. Data analysis

The concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 were measured as the average concentration every three hours at
01:00, 04:00, 07:00, 10:00, 13:00, 16:00, 19:00, and 22:00. Each measured data had flags that indicate
the status of the data. The status of the data "X" indicated error data that appeared when the monitoring
tool was being maintained or damaged, "N" indicated normal data, and "A" indicated data obtained
during instrument adjustment mode. Therefore, this study only used data in "N" or normal status.
The hourly (every three hours), daily average, and monthly average PM concentration data were
employed in this study for detailed analysis. From hourly precipitation data, precipitation data were
accumulated into daily and monthly values. Due to their high precipitation values, February 2020 and
May 2021 were classified as wet months, whereas December 2020 and July 2021 were classified as dry
months.
Analysis of PM2.5 and PM10 concentration data used descriptive analysis, comparison test, and
correlation test using IBM SPSS Statistic 22. The descriptive analysis of monthly PM2.5 and PM10
concentrations, as well as precipitation in Serpong, was utilized to identify the region's characteristics.
The comparison test was used to compare the concentration levels of PM2.5 and PM10 in several activity
periods, namely before the implementation of activity restrictions (February 1–14, 2020), First Large-
Scale Social Restrictions (LSSR-1) (April 10–23, 2020), LSSR-New normal (June 05–18, 2020), LSSR-
Transition period (October 12–25, 2020), Emergency Community Activities Restriction Enforcement
(Emergency CARE) (July 03–16, 2021) and easing of COVID-19 restrictions (July 01–14, 2022). The
correlation analysis used in this study was the Pearson correlation [12,16]. A correlation test was used
to determine the relationship between rainfall and PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations in Serpong based on
daily data in selected months that represented wet and dry seasons.

3. Results and discussion

3.1. Characteristics of PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations and precipitation in Serpong

The descriptive statistics of the monthly concentration of PM2.5 and PM10 and precipitation in Serpong
are shown in Table 1. The average concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 were 33.0 and 55.7 µg/m3,
respectively. Concentrations of PM2.5 ranged between 12.0 µg/m3 and 61.0 µg/m3, with a median of 30.0
µg/m3 and a standard deviation of 10.7 µg/m3. The concentrations of PM10 were in the range of 21.2–
104.1 µg/m3 with median and standard deviation of 54.3 and 16.3 µg/m3, respectively. Previous research
in the Puspiptek Area using the Gent Stacked Filter Unit Sampler found the average concentration levels
of PM2.5 and PM10 in 2013 were 12.6 µg/m3 and 29.0 µg/m3, respectively [17]. During the study period,
there was rain throughout the year, with a minimum value of precipitation of 48.3 mm/month and a
maximum of 486.3 mm/month. The average rainfall in Serpong is 209.7 mm/month, with a median of
196.2 mm/month and a standard deviation of 103.4 mm/month.

Table 1. Descriptive statistics of monthly PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations

and precipitation (January 2020 to August 2022).
Parameters PM2.5 PM10 Precipitation
(μg/m3) (μg/m3) (mm/month)
Mean 33.0 55.7 209.7
Median 30.0 54.3 196.2
Standard deviation 10.7 16.3 103.4
Maximum 60.9 104.1 486.3
Minimum 12.0 21.2 48.3

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6th International Symposium on Green Technology for Value Chains 2022 IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1201 (2023) 012040 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1201/1/012040

Figure 4. Monthly PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations and precipitation in Serpong,

January 2020 to August 2022

Figure 4 shows the monthly precipitation distribution and average concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10
in the study site from January 2020 to August 2022. Low precipitation occurred in August 2020, July
2021, and July 2022. High concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 were present at that time. The highest PM2.5
and PM10 concentrations, as well as the lowest precipitation, occurred in July 2021. Precipitation
increased in February and October 2020, while PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations decreased. The higher
rainfall and simultaneously reduced PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations indicate that precipitation had a wet
scavenging effect on PM2.5 and PM10 [10]. Generally, there is a negative correlation between
precipitation and pollution concentration. However, when precipitation decreased in December 2020
and November 2021, PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations declined. In May 2021, the concentrations of PM2.5
and PM10 increased, and so did precipitation. Other factors, such as heavy traffic near the site, could
explain the opposite finding. The installed monitoring instrument was also close to the cross-provincial
road, where traffic density was considerable and many dump trucks passed through.
For nearly three years, from 2020 to 2022, precipitation in the study site was above 150 mm/month,
with only four months having rainfall of less than 150 mm/month. This occurred as a result of the La
Nina phenomenon, which caused an increase in precipitation in Indonesia. This phenomenon began in
mid-2020 and was expected to last until the end of 2022, potentially until early 2023, hence the name
"Triple Dip" [18]. In this regard, because determining the dry and wet seasons in Indonesia is
challenging, they were categorized as wet and dry months for further analysis.

3.2. Comparison of PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations before and after the implementation of activity
restriction policies
Table 2 shows a descriptive analysis of PM2.5 and PM10 concentration levels in various activity phases.
In LSSR-1, the average concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 were 32.0 µg/m3 and 55.2 µg/m3,
respectively. This value was greater than the concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 before the
implementation of community activity restrictions in February 2020 (25.8 µg/m3 PM2.5 and 49.4 µg/m3
PM10) and in the LSSR-Transition period on October 12-25, 2020 (28.7 µg/m3 PM2.5 and 44.0 µg/m3
PM10). This condition suggested that pollutant measurement before the implementation of activity
restrictions and transition period might coincide with the high rainfall period. Figure 4 shows that the
rainfall in February 2020 and October 2020 was 407.1 mm and 334.8 mm, respectively. Kwak et al [19]
stated that the washout process could significantly reduce the concentration of particulates, especially
in light rain.

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 Table 2. Comparison of PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations in various activity phases and precipitation data each period.
PM2.5 (μg/m3) PM10 (μg/m3) Precipitation
Condition Period
Ave Max Min Ave Max Min (mm)
Before activity restrictions February 1–14, 2020 25.8 100.1 3.1 49.4 171.1 5.3 155.6
LSSR-1 April 10–23, 2020 32.0 149.4 9.7 55.2 226.3 14.0 101.9
LSSR-New Normal June 05–18, 2020 41.3 107.7 10.2 72.4 251.6 22.3 102.8
LSSR-Transition period Oct 12–25, 2020 28.7 71.4 5.9 44.0 119.3 6.1 125
Emergency CARE July 3–16, 2021 55.6 130.4 17 99.7 241.8 29.1 9.4a
Easing of COVID-19 restrictions July 1–14, 2022 40.4 124.5 8.7 59.5 177.8 13.8 53.9
a
Data available only for 9 days
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science

Table 3. PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations (µg/m3) in various activity phases.

Before community LSSR-New LSSR-Transition Emergency Easing of COVID-
LSSR-1
Period activity restrictions Normal period CARE 19 restrictions

6
PM2.5 PM10 PM2.5 PM10 PM2.5 PM10 PM2.5 PM10 PM2.5 PM10 PM2.5 PM10
Day 1 - 3 20.0 42.5 29.5 54.3 46.0 75.1 38.3 57.4 58.8 109.5 46.9 72.3
Day 4 - 10 23.1 46.3 26.8 46.8 35.3 65.2 28.6 45.1 54.3 99.2 36.3 52.7
6th International Symposium on Green Technology for Value Chains 2022
1201 (2023) 012040

Day 11 - 14 35.4 60.8 42.7 70.1 48.1 82.9 21.6 32.2 55.3 89.3 42.9 61.9
IOP Publishing
doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1201/1/012040
6th International Symposium on Green Technology for Value Chains 2022 IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1201 (2023) 012040 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1201/1/012040

The average pollutant concentration level during LSSR-New normal conditions was higher than
during LSSR-1, i.e. 41.3 µg/m3 PM2.5 and 72.4 µg/m3 PM10. The New normal phase was the easing phase
of the LSSR policy. In this phase, office activities had been resumed with a maximum of 50% of
employees could work in the office, while places of worship, public transportation, and public facilities
were opened with a maximum capacity of 50%.

Figure 5. Trends in PM2.5 concentration levels in various activity phases.

Figure 6. Trends in PM10 concentration levels in various activity phases.

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6th International Symposium on Green Technology for Value Chains 2022 IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1201 (2023) 012040 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1201/1/012040

Figures 5 and 6 show the trend of PM2.5 and PM10 concentration levels for 14 days in various activity
phases including before the community activity restrictions, Large-Scale Social Restriction-1 (LSSR-1),
Large-Scale Social Restriction-New normal (LSSR-New normal), Large Scale Social Restriction-
Transition period (LSSR-Transition period), Emergency Community Activities Restrictions
Enforcement (Emergency CARE), and easing of COVID-19 restrictions. Table 3 shows that the average
PM2.5 concentration in the first three days of each restriction phase was greater and would decrease from
the fourth to the tenth day. For example, the PM2.5 concentration in the first three days of LSSR-1 (April
10–12, 2020) was 29.5 µg/m3. The PM2.5 concentration decreased to 26.8 µg/m3 on the fourth to tenth
day (April 13–19, 2020) and increased again to 42.7 µg/m3 on the eleventh to fourteenth day (April 20–
23, 2020).
The same fluctuation pattern existed for PM10 concentration. In the first three days of LSSR-1, the
average PM10 concentration level was 54.3 µg/m3 and decreased on the fourth to tenth days to 46.8
µg/m3. PM10 concentration level increased again to 70.1 µg/m3 on the eleventh to fourteenth day. The
fluctuations in PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations, which decreased on the fourth to the tenth day and
increased again from the eleventh to the fourteenth day, also occurred in other activity phases, namely
LSSR-New normal, emergency CARE and easing of COVID-19 restrictions.
The decrease in the concentration of PM2.5 and PM10 from the fourth to the tenth day was thought to
be because the community had reduced the level of activity outside the home. This condition could
certainly reduce the volume of vehicles on the highway, which improved air quality. In addition,
reducing the volume of vehicles impacted the congestion level. It can affect the air quality in Jakarta or
surrounding areas such as Serpong, which is a satellite city of Jakarta. Lee et al [20] stated that a vehicle
in an idle position could increase the concentration of pollutants by 34%. Sarwar et al [21] noted that an
idling engine would produce more exhaust emissions than a moving engine, and fuel consumption would
increase to 1.8 gallons of fuel per hour. The decline in industrial activity was also believed to reduce air
concentrations, especially in industrial cities, due to reduced anthropogenic emissions into the
atmosphere produced by industry.

Table 4. PM2.5 and PM10 comparison tests in various activity phases.

Sig (2-tailed)
Activity phase
PM2.5 PM10
Before community LSSR-1 0.014 0.216
activity restriction LSSR-New Normal 0.000 0.000
LSSR-Transition Period 0.167 0.157
Emergency CARE 0.000 0.000
Easing of COVID-19 0.000 0.030
restrictions

The results of the analysis in Table 4 also show that there was a difference in the average
concentration of PM2.5 before the implementation of community activity restrictions with LSSR-1,
LSSR-New Normal, Emergency CARE, and easing of COVID-19 restrictions. In addition, there was a
difference in the average concentrations of PM10 from before the implementation of community activity
restrictions with LSSR-New Normal and Emergency CARE. Meanwhile, there was no difference in
PM2.5 concentration before the implementation of community activity restrictions and the LSSR-
Transition period, and there was no difference in the PM10 concentration level before the restriction was
imposed with LSSR-1 and the LSSR-Transition period. Sarwono [22] stated that if the value of Sig (2-
tailed) is less than 0.05, then there is an average difference between the groups of values tested, in this
case, the concentration of PM2.5 and PM10 before activity restrictions and other activities.

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6th International Symposium on Green Technology for Value Chains 2022 IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1201 (2023) 012040 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1201/1/012040

3.3. Correlation between PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations and precipitation

Daily data from the selected months were used to investigate PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations and
precipitation data to reveal the detailed relation (Figure 7). Some of these conditions include: (a)
increasing precipitation while decreasing PM concentration (Figure 7a); (b) decreasing precipitation and
decreasing PM concentration (Figure 7b); (c) increasing precipitation and increasing PM concentration
(Figure 7c); and (d) decreasing precipitation while increasing PM concentration (Figure 7d). According
to the daily data, a wet day with a high intensity might influence decreasing PM concentration. It also
occurs when there was no precipitation (0 mm/day), and the concentration of PM on that day increased.

(a) (b)

(c) (d)
Figure 7. Daily PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations and precipitation in Serpong, (a) February 2020; (b)
December 2020; (c) May 2021; (d) July 2021.

As the COVID-19 pandemic had not yet reached Indonesia in February 2020, Indonesian daily
activities at that time were normal. Almost every day in February 2020 was rainy, with a total quantity
of precipitation of 407 mm. As a result, this month was included as a representative wet month. The
average PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations for that month were 23.4 μg/m3 and 43.41 μg/m3, respectively.
On heavy rain days, the concentration of particulate decreased according to the trend indicated in the
daily data.
Representative circumstances for the LSSR period were found in December 2020 and May 2021.
With 81 mm of precipitation in December 2020, it was classified as a dry month, despite the fact that it
was the rainy season. An average monthly PM2.5 concentration of 11.9 μg/m3 and PM10 concentration of
21.2 μg/m3 were recorded this month. Low PM concentrations throughout the month appeared to be
followed by low precipitations, regardless of seasonal change, wind speed, or direction. This could be a
result of tighter regulations in Indonesia, which forbade outdoor activities over the Christmas and New
Year's holidays. Precipitation increased in May 2021, and particulate concentrations increased from the
previous month. May 2021 was classified as a wet month due to the 486 mm of precipitation that
occurred throughout the month. In May 2021, the average PM2.5 concentration was 47.5 μg/m3 and the
PM10 concentration was 72.9 μg/m3. The concentration of particulates increased, possibly because
community activities were no longer as stringent as they were in December 2020.

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IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1201 (2023) 012040 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1201/1/012040

The lowest precipitation recorded during the monitoring period was 48 mm in July 2021. This month
was therefore used as an indication of a dry month. At the time, pollutant concentrations were at their
maximum, with monthly average PM2.5 of 60.9 μg/m3 and PM10 of 104.1 μg/m3. Based on the daily data,
the highest daily concentrations of 110.2 μg/m3 PM2.5 and 165.1 μg/m3PM10 were reached on July 28,
2021. After several days with no rain, the concentrations reached their maximum. This month only had
five rainy days, with the remaining having no precipitation or 0 mm/day. As a result, based on data for
July 2021, it is possible to see the influence of precipitation and an increase in pollutant concentrations,
as well as other things that might also have effects such as the beginning of mobility by utilizing private
cars for activities.
The correlation between PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations and rainfall is shown in Figure 8. This figure
shows the distribution of PM2.5 and PM10 based on daily data in each wet month and dry month category.
There was a negative correlation between PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations and rainfall.

(a) (b)

(c) (d)
Figure 8. Scatter plots diagram of daily PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations and precipitation, (a) PM2.5
concentrations in wet month; (b) PM10 concentrations in wet month; (c) PM2.5 concentrations in dry
month; (d) PM10 concentrations in dry month

Table 5. Correlation of PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations and precipitation.

Pearson correlation Sig. (2-tailed)
Precipitation
PM2.5 PM10 PM2.5 PM10
Wet month (Feb 20 and May 21) -0.190 -0.218 0.157 0.104
N=57
Dry month (Dec 20 and Jul 21) -0.147 -0.159 0.287 0.251
N=54

A Pearson correlation test was performed on the data for the representative of wet and dry months
based on daily data to assess the effect of precipitation on pollutant concentrations. Table 5 shows the
Pearson correlation of PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations and precipitation in wet and dry months. Pearson

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6th International Symposium on Green Technology for Value Chains 2022 IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1201 (2023) 012040 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1201/1/012040

correlation analysis was also utilized in previous research [12,16], with negative correlation results. The
obtained correlation coefficient value was just approximately 0.147 to 0.218, indicating that the
relationship between precipitation and PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations was very weak in both wet and
dry months. The significance test of Sig. (2-tailed) yielded a value of 0.104 to 0.287, indicating that the
relationship between the two variables was not significant.

4. Conclusions
The PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations in the study site before and during activities restrictions and easing
restrictions on COVID-19 had been determined. The average concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 were 33
μg/m3 and 55.7 μg/m3, respectively. The measured PM2.5 concentration ranged from 12 μg/m3 to 61
μg/m3, while the PM10 concentration ranged from 21.2 μg/m3 to 104.1 μg/m3. Comparative analysis
shows a difference in the average concentration of PM2.5 and PM10 in the phase before implementing
activity restrictions with emergency CARE. The Pearson correlation analysis shows a weak correlation
between precipitation and PM2.5 with PM10 concentrations, both in wet and dry months. Additional
research is required to examine additional weather and climate factors that may have a greater impact
on the local air quality.

Acknowledgments
We would like to thank the monitoring project team from the National Institute for Environmental
Studies and the National Research and Innovation Agency for the instrument maintenance.
Author contributions
IMI and AM contributed in conceptualization, methodology, analysis, writing the draft, and reviewing,
MAS contributed in writing and reviewing, AR contributed in data analysis, INI contributed in
observation and monitoring system maintenance, RA contributed in analysis and editing, MN, SH and
HM contributed in funding, monitoring system development, reviewing and supervision, NS contributed
in writing analysis, reviewing and supervision. All authors read and approved the final paper.

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6th International Symposium on Green Technology for Value Chains 2022 IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1201 (2023) 012040 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1201/1/012040

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