Day: June 22, 2021

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The emergency brake policy to tackle the COVID-19 case surge in the capital city comes under the Central Government’s authority and also micro-scale public movement restrictions (PPKM) implementation, Jakarta Deputy Governor Ahmad Riza Patria stated.

“In the past, the authority had laid with the regions, (so we could pull the emergency brake). Now, the authority lies in the hands of the central (government). That is the regulation,” Patria noted at the Jakarta City Hall here on Monday.

The central government’s rule aims for improved coordination, synchronization, harmonization, and cooperation among regions to stem the transmission of COVID-19, the deputy governor remarked.

“Since the enforcement of PPKM, everything has been coordinated by the central government, and it is very good, so that the local governments can help each other and synergize well. Hence, once again, this micro PPKM is a good policy with sound coordination among local governments,” he affirmed.

Jakarta will follow the decisions of the central government via Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto pertaining to efforts to prevent and control the number of COVID-19 cases.

The governor affirmed that restrictions on the capacity of community activities and operating hours would be more or less the same as what Hartarto had said.

“What has been conveyed by Coordinating Minister, Pak Airlangga, will be more or less what we will incorporate into the government’s regulations. We are awaiting instructions of the Minister of Home Affairs as a reference or basis. God willing, the Minister of Home Affairs’ (instruction) will come out tomorrow,” he remarked.

“Jakarta will follow the policies and decisions taken by the Central Government,” he stated.

According to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency’s (BPBN’s) data, Jakarta had lately been witnessing a major spike in COVID-19 cases, reaching up to 5,014 in the past 24 hours on Monday, and 5,582 on Saturday.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi gave due importance to the critical role of women in curbing the COVID-19 pandemic and driving recovery.

Marsudi made the remarks in her keynote address at a high-level digital meeting “Building Forward: Women Political Leaders Determining the New Normal” organized by the Women Political Leaders Network in Brussels, Belgium, on Monday (June 21), the Foreign Ministry noted in a written statement released on Tuesday.

The important role of women is apparent from the number of global healthcare workers, largely constituting women and their involvement in the management of micro, small, and medium businesses (MSMEs) to meet the requirements of health equipment, according to the minister.

“Women now lead global campaigns for equitable access to vaccine since all co-chairs of the COVAXAMC Engagement Group are women,” Marsudi remarked.

COVAX Advanced Market Commitment (AMC) Engagement Group is a forum between the AMC member states and donor countries for the procurement and distribution of vaccine for 92 AMC member states.

The minister pointed out that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a greater impact on women than on men. Women are more vulnerable to losing jobs, bearing domestic burden, and suffering violence. A study also found that women are more doubtful about vaccines due to a lack of mobility and access to health information.

“Hence, women should draw main attention in the efforts to recover from the pandemic,” Marsudi stated.

In the short run, women need to play a greater role in addressing the issue of doubts circulating about the vaccine and public fatigue about COVID-19, she noted.

To this end, the minister emphasized that women should make their voices heard and become involved in the decision-making process.

In the long run, women’s empowerment must become a priority in the efforts to recover from the pandemic, Marsudi stated.

Women’s empowerment could be realized by increasing their participation in the economy, improving their access to digital technology, promoting public awareness about gender equitability, and creating an environment for ushering in equitable opportunities for women.

“Indonesia is committed to advancing the women’s agenda, including in the Indonesian presidency for G-20. We must take advantage of this momentum to build a post-pandemic sustainable, resilient, and just inclusive world,” the minister stressed.

Women Political Leaders is a global network of women politicians and leaders focused on increasing the influence of women and their number to don leadership roles.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan has made an earnest request to the people to care for those having contracted COVID-19, as it also concerns their families that harbor worries.

“Imagine a family that is worried and tensed. Imagine patients in need of intensive treatment owing to exposure to the virus,” Baswedan noted here on Tuesday.

The governor remarked that the current spike in COVID-19 cases in Jakarta must not be viewed as mere figures of death toll or confirmed case tally, as it concerns people exposed to the virus and their worried families.

“I need to underline it. When (we) mention the number of cases, do not ever treat the COVID-19 cases just as statistical figures – the number of cases up or down,” he noted. An increase of one COVID-19 case means one life is threatened owing to the infection. It means that when one person is infected, his or her family members — mother, father, children, brothers, or sisters — are worried, he remarked.

Hence, Baswedan has urged all to be heedful of their pains and to care for those infected.

“These are our brothers and sisters. These are fellow citizens. Every time, one figure is mentioned, there is one life. He/she could be a child, mother, father, brother, or sister of us all,” he stated.

Jakarta recorded an increase of 5,014 cases within 24 hours on June 21, 2021, bringing the tally to 479,043 cases in the capital city.

Moreover, a total of 32,060 people are being treated or isolated owing to the COVID-19 infection.

On Monday, 71 Jakartans succumbed to the disease, thereby taking the death toll to 7,976.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Director General of Waste Management from the Environment and Forestry Ministry Rosa Vivien Ratnawati, emphasized that medical waste must not be disposed into landfills, as special treatment down to its extermination are necessary.

“I would like to extend the message that medical waste should not be disposed in landfills,” Ratnawati stated during a virtual discussion on medical waste in connection with COVID-19, accessed from Jakarta, Tuesday.

Moreover, Ratnawati highlighted that the ministry, along with law enforcement authorities, will continue to conduct surveillance and take legal actions against those found disposing of medical waste into landfills.

The ban on medical waste disposal into landfills was prompted by the contamination possibly arising in the waste of COVID-19 patients, as it can be dangerous and poisonous due to the infectious nature of the disease. Moreover, Director of Waste Management Verification Achmad Gunawan, stated during the discussion that medical waste related to COVID-19 must be segregated and kept separate from other poisonous and dangerous waste. The waste must be packaged in tightly closed and air-tight containers.

The extermination process should be conducted in an incinerator, with a minimum burning temperature of 800 degrees Celsius. The waste can also be treated using autoclave facilities, bearing in mind that not all medical waste can be destroyed using autoclaves.

Should there be no access to dangerous and poisonous waste management facilities, then it can be handed over to hospitals that are equipped with such tools or to Environment Offices to be collected in depots.

Gunawan also underscored the criticality of documenting the amount of medical waste being destroyed or handed over to third parties to be processed.

“These depots are direly required, as they help many parties, especially small isolation facilities or independent quarantines. From the depot, the waste is then collected by third parties. All of these must once again be documented,” he remarked.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The East Jakarta Municipality is planning to build a COVID-19 hospital amid a spike in infections in the capital city and surrounding areas.

“There is a possibility of having a discourse on building a large hospital to treat COVID-19 patients. We will gradually reduce visits from patients or residents who seek general treatment,” Indra Setiawan, head of the East Jakarta Health Office, said here on Tuesday.

He made the statement in response to an increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases in East Jakarta, in particular, and Jakarta, in general, over the last few days.

The plan would materialize soon if confirmed COVID-19 cases continue to increase, Setiawan informed.

The demand for beds for COVID-19 patients in the East Jakarta area has also shot up in the last few days, he said.

“Indeed, recently the need for beds has surged because we have seen an increasing number of cases. From the data, symptomatic cases that do require hospital treatment are also increasing,” he observed.

As an anticipatory measure, several hospitals designated as referral hospitals for COVID-19 patients in East Jakarta have prepared additional beds.

“Some hospitals have prepared additional beds,” Setiawan said.

Expressing concern over the rise in infections, he said daily cases in East Jakarta have jumped drastically from 200 to reach one thousand now.

“In East Jakarta previously there were 150 to 200 new cases per day, but in the last five days we have added over a thousand new cases,” he said on the sidelines of the inauguration of a COVID-19 Vaccination Center at the Jakarta International Equestrian Park, Jakarta.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesia is ready to host the World Superbike (WSBK) championship in Mandalika, West Nusa Tenggara, the Tourism and Creative Economy Minister said adding, the number of spectators allowed would depend on the COVID-19 situation.

“We are ready (to host) the World Superbike (championship), but this will depend on the COVID-19 situation. If possible we will adjust the number of spectators (allowed on the circuit),” Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno said at a weekly online briefing here on Tuesday.

The organizer will also implement stringent health protocols for athletes, delegates, and spectators at the race, he added.

Construction work on the Mandalika circuit in Lombok Tengah district is still in progress, and is expected to be completed in July or August this year, he informed.

The World Superbike is scheduled to be held from November 12-14, 2021. Twenty-four foreign athletes are expected to participate in the race, Uno said.

The development of the access road to the circuit has reached 70 percent completion, while the airport expansion project is 99 percent complete, the minister said.

The championship is expected to have a positive impact on the local economy in Mandalika and open jobs for local people, he added.

“We hope it would boost people’s economy in Mandalika and villages around the region,” he remarked.

The WSBK would become a preliminary race before the Mandalika circuit hosts the MotoGP race in March, 2022, he noted.

Earlier, West Nusa Tenggara Governor Zulkieflimansyah had proposed additional direct flights to and from the province during the WSBK championship and the MotoGP event on the Mandalika circuit.

West Nusa Tenggara has many potential tourism spots, but the number of direct flights is still limited, he said.

International events on the Mandalika circuit are expected to revive the tourism sector in West Nusa Tenggara, he added.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesian residents are required to bring certificates of domicile to receive COVID-19 vaccine doses, spokesperson for COVID-19 vaccination at the Health Ministry, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, clarified on Tuesday.

“It is true that until now we have used certificates of domicile to account for the release of vaccines, since the vaccination is still limited to residents aged above 18 years,” she informed.

The distribution of vaccines is currently based on the population of each province, she said.

Earlier, Herce, a Bekasi city resident, had questioned the administrative requirement of submitting a domicile certificate for receiving a vaccination.

“I came to public health service post (puskesma) to receive vaccination. But (when I got there) I should bring a letter from the neighborhood association/community unit (RT/RW) heads. Is that true? As matter of fact, the government is making an endeavor to achieve the target of vaccinated people. So why is the process too long?” Herce said.

Meanwhile, chief of the behavior change section of the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, Sonny Harry B Harmadi, has called on regional apparatuses in and around Jakarta to relax the requirements for vaccine recipients.

“They should relax the requirements as far as they can to give the people easy access to vaccines and accelerate the national vaccination program,” he said.

Source: Antara News