The Indonesian government issued various policies to keep the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic under control as cases fluctuated during the outbreak. However, the public communication strategies used by the government to handle the pandemic have not been effective, while effective communication is vital in fostering understanding and trust, as well as in maintaining people’s risk perception. The government’s public communication during the pandemic had a number of issues, such as (i) discordant messages delivered by government officials; (ii) messages with the potential for causing confusion; (iii) positive narratives that boast the country’s success in handling the pandemic but have the potential of creating a false sense of security; and (iv) diverse creative communication strategies across regions with varying levels of effectiveness.