Day: July 16, 2021

Jakarta (ANTARA) – A total of 327 Indonesian citizens residing in Saudi Arabia have registered as prospective pilgrims for the 2021 Hajj pilgrimage.

“There are currently 327 Indonesian citizens who have become pilgrims this year. They are Indonesian citizens who have been living in Saudi Arabia and have registered as prospective pilgrims, according to the procedures imposed by Saudi Arabia,” said Consul for Hajj, Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia (KJRI) in Jeddah, Endang Jumali, in a written statement received here on Friday.

The registered Indonesian pilgrims comprise several diplomats from the Indonesian embassy and Consulate General, migrant workers, as well as students, and a number of other citizens who have resided in Saudi Arabia for a long time, Jumali informed.

“The data collection process for Indonesian citizens who are on pilgrimage this year is still being carried out. Data on the number of pilgrims will continue to grow. Perhaps the latest data will be obtained when they are wukuf in Arafah or stay at Mina. So, it is still possible (for the pilgrim numbers) to continue to grow,” he said.

The government of Saudi Arabia has banned pilgrims from other countries from performing the Hajj in the 2020 and 2021 Hajj season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year, Saudi Arabia will begin the 1442 H pilgrimage on Saturday, July 17, 2021, with the Hajj quota limited to just 60 thousand pilgrims, which will specifically apply to Saudi citizens and expatriates who have settled in the country, Jumali said. They have been chosen from more than 500 thousand prospective pilgrims who registered for Hajj, he added.

The Saudi Ministry of Hajj has said that only people in the 18-65 age group who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 and are free from chronic disease will be allowed to join the pilgrimage.

The vaccines approved for the pilgrims are Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson, it added.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesia’s daily oxygen requirement has climbed fivefold from 400 tons to two thousand tons amid a rapid increase in COVID-19 infections, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin has said.

“We have reported to the cabinet that the demand for oxygen has increased very rapidly from 400 tons per day. Now it has increased to almost two thousand tons per day,” Sadikin informed at an online press conference on Friday after attending a limited meeting chaired by President Joko Widodo.

To meet the rising oxygen demand, the Health Ministry is utilizing excess oxygen capacity from domestic factories or industries, the minister said.

This effort is being carried out in collaboration with the Ministry of Industry, he added.

There is an excess of 240 to 250 tons of oxygen per day from the domestic industry that can be used for COVID-19 patients, Sadikin said.

The ministry is also trying to optimize the strategy for using oxygen concentrators, he added.

“This (oxygen concentrator) is a small device that only requires electricity. We can install it at home or on a hospital bed to supply oxygen with a capacity of 10 liters or 5 liters per minute. This concentrator is sufficient to meet the oxygen needs in the isolation room,” he said.

The government is planning to buy around 20 thousand to 30 thousand oxygen concentrators, which could provide around 600 tons of oxygen per day to hospitals treating COVID-19 patients, the Health Minister disclosed.

“The government plans to buy around 20 thousand – 30 thousand oxygen concentrators, which can provide around 600 tons of oxygen per day to hospitals. And, we can lend them to people in need,” he remarked.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin has confirmed that at least two thousand additional beds have been prepared at several hospitals in Jakarta for moderately symptomatic COVID-19 patients.

“So, in total it is estimated to be two thousand additional beds prepared for patients categorized as moderately symptomatic with COVID-19,” Sadikin said at an online press conference after attending a limited meeting here on Friday.

As many as one thousand additional beds have been made available at Wisma Haji Pondok Gede, Jakarta, comprising 900 general beds and 100 beds for the intensive care unit, he informed.

Another 300-500 beds have been added at Pertaminal Central Hospital and 300 beds at Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, he said.

Apart from adding beds, the ministry is also working with the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry to build field hospitals in some regions, Sadikin disclosed.

Locations have been identified for building field hospitals in Bandung, West Java and Central Java, he said.

“We have visited Bandung and Central Java and have identified some sites for building field hospitals that will provide beds if needed. The team continues to go to Surabaya for identifying its potential if needed for additional bed provision,” he added.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Worshippers must comply with the COVID-19 health protocols while observing Eid al-Adha, secretary of the Fatwa Commission of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), Asrorun Ni’am Sholeh, has said.

“The COVID-19 outbreak will not prevent people from worshiping. The implementation of Eid al-Adha must be adapted to the latest situation and conditions,” he urged in Jakarta on Friday.

Muslims have an obligation to continue to perform religious activities as part of upholding their religion, Sholeh explained.

However, they must ensure their own safety as well as the safety of others, he stressed.

“With the government establishing the emergency public activity restrictions (PPKM) in Java, Bali and several cities in Indonesia, the implementation of worship activities must be adjusted,” he said.

The takbiran, which involves chanting Allahu Akbar (God is great), is traditionally held on the eve of Eid al-Adha at mosques and on the streets, with attendance reaching tens to hundreds of people, he noted.

During the emergency PPKM, the takbiran will need to be carried out at home or in private areas to prevent transmission of COVID-19, Sholeh said.

Eid al-Adha prayers can be performed at home in congregation with family members or individually, he added.

Residents who wish to perform qurban (animal sacrifice) for Eid-al-Adha can visit slaughterhouses (RPH) to avoid crowds during the ritual, he suggested.

“People should optimize the qurban meat distribution for the benefit of our brothers and sisters who really need it, especially those who are in self-isolation,” he said. Meanwhile, Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas has asked Indonesians to temporarily worship from home to minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission.

“The daily number of positive COVID-19 cases is still increasing. For the time being, let us reduce mobility, be patient, and stay at home. For the time being, we will carry out worship at home,” he said in a press release issued by the Ministry of Religious Affairs in Jakarta on Friday.

Houses of worship in emergency community activity restrictions (PPKM) zones and high (red) and medium (orange) COVID-19 transmission risk zones will need to be temporarily closed to prevent crowding, which can increase the risk of coronavirus spread, Qoumas had earlier explained.

“Public worship activities in the emergency PPKM zones as well as the red and orange zones outside the emergency PPKM (zones) will need to continue to be carried out at home,” he said.

The minister also asked citizens to comply with government regulations that are aimed at suppressing the transmission of COVID-19.

“Let us work from home and worship from home. Limiting mobility out of the house is part of a joint effort to break the chain of spread of COVID-19,” he said.

Minister Qoumas also invited the public to take advantage of the emergency PPKM period to increase worship.

The government has imposed emergency PPKM in the Java and Bali regions from July 3 to July 20, 2021.

Source: Antara News