Day: July 4, 2021

With the second COVID-19 wave leading to a drastic spike in infections in several regions, particularly Jakarta and other cities on Java Island, the Indonesian government has imposed restrictions on public activities starting Saturday.

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has urged the public to stay calm during the implementation of the emergency restrictions.

He has also called on the public to remain disciplined in adhering to the health protocols and support the work of government officials and volunteers handling the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I call on the public to remain calm and alert to comply with existing regulations,” Widodo said.

“With sound cooperation from every individual and the will of Allah SWT, Indonesia can suppress the spread of COVID-19 and restore people’s lives quickly,” the President added.

The emergency people’s activity restrictions (PPKM), which will be in place till July 20, 2021, are aimed at reducing daily coronavirus infections to below 10 thousand. They entail a work-from-home guidance for all non-essential sectors and the continued closure of schools and universities.

During the emergency restrictions, public amenities like beaches, parks, tourist attractions, and places of worship will remain closed, while restaurants will be allowed to only offer take-away or delivery services. On Saturday, the first day of the imposition of the emergency restrictions, the main roads of Jakarta, such as Sudirman and Thamrin avenues, bore a deserted look as police installed barricades at several toll roads and intersection points on main roads to limit the mobility of residents. Only individuals working in the essential sector are allowed to venture outside the home.

Practically quarantining the capital city by significantly limiting those wanting to go out or enter the capital city, Jakarta Police, supported by military personnel, implemented isolation measures at 63 entry and exit points for Jakarta, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi (Jadetabek).

Overall, the first day of imposition of emergency community activity restrictions (PPKM) in Java and Bali went smoothly, officials said.

Indonesia saw a record increase in daily COVID-19 cases on July 3, 2021, with 27,913 new infections and 493 deaths reported across the country. The number of single-day recoveries stood at 13,282, while active cases were pegged at 281,677.

Since the government announced the first COVID-19 cases on March 2, 2020, the tally of infections has so far reached 2,256,851, while the death toll has touched 60,027.

Indonesia’s current COVID situation has raised concern owing to the drastic spike in infections, officials said adding, the unusual condition requires extraordinary measures. Coronavirus transmission needs to be controlled, they said.

“Remember, this emergency PPKM action is to save lives. The President’s orders are clear. We are taking more decisive and measurable steps,” Jodi Mahardi, spokesperson for the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, said in a press statement broadcast by the Presidential Secretariat’s Youtube account. The hospital bed occupancy rate on Java Island, including in Jakarta, has currently crossed 90 percent. Quite a few health facilities are full, which has forced many to accommodate patients in the aisles or even, reject patients and advise them to conduct self-isolation at home.

Doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers have said they are exhausted and so have graveyard diggers. As of June 27, 2021, 405 Indonesian doctors have succumbed to COVID-19, according to data from the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI).

Last June, at least 336 healthcare workers in Bogor, West Java had contracted COVID-19 and fallen ill, leading to the Bogor municipality taking the decision to shut down eight health facilities.

According to Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin, the government has adopted three strategies to deal with the pandemic.

The three strategies are adjusting behavior to emergency PPKM; detecting suspected patients through testing, tracing, and treatment (3T) activities; and, accelerating COVID-19 vaccinations.

Adjusting behavior to emergency PPKM encompasses wearing face masks, washing hands with soap, and maintaining a safe physical distance.

The government will step up testing and tracing activities by up to four times from now onwards — the same way as other countries recording a surge in COVID-19 active cases, Sadikin said. To that end, it will ramp up tests to 400 thousand-500 thousand samples per day from 100 thousand samples per day earlier, he disclosed.

If the positivity rate is less than five percent, then only one out of every one thousand citizens will be tested per week, he informed. If the positivity rate is above five percent and less than 15 percent, then the minimum test ratio will be five out of every one thousand citizens per week, he added.

If the positivity rate is above 15 percent and less than 25 percent, then 10 out of every one thousand citizens will be tested per week, the minister said. If the positivity rate is above 25 percent, then 15 out of every one thousand citizens will be tested per week, he added.

Meanwhile, the executive board of IDI has prepared a number of schemes for strengthening human resources (HR) to optimize the handling of COVID-19.

“The first scheme that has been prepared is for general practitioners who have completed their internship. They could be prepared to assist in health services,” Adib Khumaidi, head of the PB IDI’s Doctor Mitigation Team, said at an online press conference on July 2, 2021.

Another scheme involves deploying medical students who have passed and received a doctor’s professional competency test certification, he added.

The IDI is still awaiting approval from the Health Ministry to implement such a conversion scheme. The association also said it will deploy volunteers in areas that need health workers for handling COVID-19 later on. Indonesia has been carrying out a national vaccination program, which has been prioritizing healthcare workers, including doctors and nurses, since January 13, 2021. The program has mostly used CoronaVac vaccines developed by Sinovac of China.

As many as 152,625 Indonesians received their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on July 3, 2021, bringing the count of fully vaccinated people to 13,922,732. Meanwhile, the number of people receiving their first COVID-19 dose rose by 681,419 to reach 31,573,240. (INE)

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesia saw a record increase in daily COVID-19 cases on Saturday, with 27,913 new infections reported across the country, which took the total tally to 2,256,851, the COVID-19 Response Task Force said.

With 493 people dying of COVID-19, the death toll reached 60,027. The number of deaths showed a decline on Saturday compared to the day before, when they were recorded at 539.

Meanwhile, the number of active cases, or patients receiving treatment or conducting self-isolation, increased by 14,138 to reach 281,677.

The number of suspected cases stood at 139,189, while the number of specimens tested at laboratories across Indonesia reached 157,227.

Among the 34 provinces of Indonesia, Jakarta recorded the highest single-day increase in cases at 9,702, followed by West Java (5,390) and Central Java (3,224).

Meanwhile, Central Java recorded the highest number of daily deaths at 188, followed by East Java (80) and Jakarta (40).

Indonesia reported its first confirmed COVID-19 cases in March, 2020.

Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, has predicted that the next two weeks — until the emergency public activity restrictions (PPKM) for Java and Bali end — will be critical for Indonesia.

“Since four days ago the number of new infections has risen and so has the number of deaths. The number of new cases have hit a record high of 25 thousand, with more than 500 patients succumbing to the infection. I think the figures will continue to increase in the next 10 days, or in the next two weeks, since the incubation of this variant will still continue. So, the next two weeks will be the critical period,” the minister remarked at a press conference on Saturday. (INE)

Source: Antara News

Putussibau, West Kalimantan (ANTARA) – The Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI)’s 1206 Putussibau military regional command conducted vaccination activities for 185 residents living near the Indonesia-Malaysia border area in Batang Lupar Sub-district, Kapuas Hulu Dustruct, West Kalimantan Province.

“The mass vaccination program is implemented in cooperation with the TNI, Polri (Indonesia’s Police), Puskesman (community health center), and the community who are quite enthusiastic,” First Lieutenant Assistant Timur Edy, commander of the Batang Lupar Sub-district military office, said here on Saturday..

Timur said that he only received 10 vials of vaccine, while the public was enthusiastic about getting the shots to prevent the COVID-19 infections.

He expressed his hope to receive more vials of COVID-19 vaccine to outreach more residents in the border area, in accordance with the instruction of President Joko Widodo.

“Mass vaccination is one of our efforts to break the chain of the COVID-19 spread. Of course, in handling the pandemic, we need synergy from all parties, including the community,” he noted.

He called on the public in border area to increase awareness and remain vigilant against the COVID-19 transmission. Indonesia saw a record increase in daily COVID-19 cases on July 3, 2021, with 27,913 new infections and 493 deaths reported across the country. The number of single-day recoveries stood at 13,282, while active cases were pegged at 281,677.

Since the government announced the first COVID-19 cases on March 2, 2020, the tally of infections has so far reached 2,256,851, while the death toll has touched 60,027.

With the second COVID-19 wave leading to a drastic spike in infections in several regions, particularly Jakarta and other cities on Java Island, the Indonesian government has imposed restrictions on public activities starting July 3 until 20, 2021.

Source: Antara News

Banda Aceh, Aceh (ANTARA) – A man was trampled to death by a wild elephant in Krang Ampar, Ketol Sub-district, Central Aceh District, Aceh Province.

The victim was identified as Abdurrahman (50), Masmiko, a member of the the Karang Ampar-Bergang Masmiko Flora Fauna Security Team (TPFF) said here on Sunday.

“He died on Sunday at around 2 .a.m. local time, after his condition was critical and undergoing intensive treatment at the Datu Beru Takengon Hospital,” he said.

Abdurrahman was trampled by the elephant on Saturday and suffered serious injuries all over his body owing to the attack of the large animal.

“The victim was trampled by a wild elephant on Saturday (3/7) at around 12.00 WIB (Western Indonesian Standard Time). The victim was taken to the hospital. His condition was severe, his right leg was broken, his back ribs were also broken, he also had wounds on his head,” Masmiko added.

The incident happened after local villagers had successfully herded away dozens of wild elephants. One elephant, however, had been left behind and Abdurrahman was trying to escort the elephant to the rest of the group.

The herd of wild elephants had been in the village for two nights. Then the residents

Source: Antara News

Manokwari, W Papua (ANTARA) – The West Papua police tighten the monitoring of travelers arriving at airports and seaports across the province to ensure that they have obtained COVID-19 rapid antigen tests.

Tightening the monitoring of incoming travelers demonstrates the West Papua police’s seriousness in curbing coronavirus transmission, West Papua Police Chief Tornagogo Sihombing said.

On Saturday, some 13 incoming passengers partaking in the antigent tests received reactive results so that they were required to get polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, he told journalists on the sidelines of his visit to Rendani Airport in Manokwari, the capital of West Papua Province.

Their PCR test results would determine whether or not they had suffered the COVID-19 symptoms, Sihombing said.

To contain the COVID-19 spread, he urges locals to keep complying with the 5M health protocols — wearing mask, washing hands, practicing physical distancing measures, avoiding crowds, and reducing mobility.

The COVID-19 pandemic initially struck the Chinese city of Wuhan in 2019 and subsequently spread across the globe, including to countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Indonesian government announced the country’s first confirmed cases on March 2, 2020.

Since then, the central and regional governments have striven incessantly to flatten the nation’s coronavirus curve by applying healthcare protocols and public activity restrictions. As part of the efforts to win the fight against COVID-19, the Indonesian government has also been conducting a nationwide vaccination program to contain infections since January 13, 2021.

Amid the government’s ongoing vaccination drives, Indonesia has been hit by the second wave of new COVID-19 cases.

The country saw a record increase in daily COVID-19 cases on Saturday (July 3, 2021), with 27,913 new infections reported across the country, which took the total tally to 2,256,851.

The COVID-19 Response Task Force noted that with 493 people dying of COVID-19, the death toll reached 60,027. The number of deaths showed a decline on Saturday compared to that on Friday which stood at 539.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Deputy Speaker Hidayat Nur Wahid opined that the outreach of the government’s social aid programs should be expended during the enforcement of emergency public activity restrictions.

The outreach expansion was necessary because the number of people severely suffering from the tremendous impacts of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on household incomes rose in the midst of the lockdown enforcement has increased.

Therefore, the government needs to reimpose the social assistance schemes that it had ever provided in the early phase of COVID-19 pandemic last year, Wahid said in a press statement that ANTARA received here Sunday.

He, however, suggested that the government expand the outreach and indexes of its family hope (PKH), staple food package (Sembako), and cash aid programs due to the rising number of affected households.

To make the social assistance programs effective, the government must also have a recipient data validation, and implement strict rules of good corporate governance to avoid the recurrence of a corruption scandal.

Wahid said the PKH, Sembako, and cash aid the government has planned to provide during the lockdown enforcement are still just the “regular social assistance programs” as they had ever been given before the imposition of the so called “PPKM Darurat” policy.

In fact, due to the enforcement of the government’s policy on emergency public activity restrictions or “PPKM Darurat” in the islands of Java and Bali from July 3 to July 20, 2021, more people get affected, he argued.

Thus, Wahid argued that the government’s plan to give the PKH to 10 million recipients, Sembako to 18.8 million recipients, and cash aid to 10 million recipients would likely be ineffective because more people are forced to stay at home during the lockdown period. The COVID-19 pandemic initially struck the Chinese city of Wuhan in 2019 and subsequently spread across the globe, including to countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Indonesian government announced the country’s first confirmed cases on March 2, 2020.

Since then, the central and regional governments have striven incessantly to flatten the nation’s coronavirus curve by applying healthcare protocols and public activity restrictions.

As part of the efforts to win the fight against COVID-19, the Indonesian government has also been conducting a nationwide vaccination program to contain infections since January 13, 2021.

Amid the government’s ongoing vaccination drives, Indonesia is hit by the second wave of new COVID-19 cases.

The country saw a record increase in daily COVID-19 cases on Saturday (July 3, 2021), with 27,913 new infections reported across the country, which took the total tally to 2,256,851.

The COVID-19 Response Task Force noted that with 493 people dying of COVID-19, the death toll reached 60,027. The number of deaths showed a decline on Saturday compared to that on Friday which stood at 539.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Only foreigners who have been fully vaccinated could travel to Indonesia starting July 6, 2021, according to Jodi Mahardi, spokesman of the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment.

“Every foreigner, starting July 6, 2021, is required to present a vaccine card (showing that he or she has been fully vaccinated) and a negative COVID-19 PCR test result before entering Indonesia,” Jodi said in a written statement here on Sunday.

Meanwhile, vaccination certificate exemption is given to foreign diplomats and ministerial level officials in accordance with diplomatic relations practices that are also applied by other countries, he said quoting a statement of the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan.

Indonesian citizens who will enter Indonesia but do not have a vaccine card, are required to present a negative COVID PCR test result. After being quarantined and are proven to be free from COVID-19, they will immediately get vaccinated.

“Quarantine rules are applied to both foreigners and Indonesian citizens. They have to undergo quarantine for eight days with two PCR tests, namely on arrival and on day 7,” he added.

As for the quarantine limit for 8 days, this is in accordance with the Ministry of Health’s directives.

Indonesia saw a record increase in daily COVID-19 cases on July 3, 2021, with 27,913 new infections and 493 deaths reported across the country. The number of single-day recoveries stood at 13,282, while active cases were pegged at 281,677. Since the government announced the first COVID-19 cases on March 2, 2020, the tally of infections has so far reached 2,256,851, while the death toll has touched 60,027.

With the second COVID-19 wave leading to a drastic spike in infections in several regions, particularly Jakarta and other cities on Java Island, the Indonesian government has imposed restrictions on public activities starting July 3 until 20, 2021.

Source: Antara News