Day: July 24, 2021

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Forty thousand passengers have been vaccinated against COVID-19 at AP II airport vaccination centers between July 3 and July 22, 2021, state-owned air transport corporation PT Angkasa Pura II (AP II) has said.

“Our (AP II) biggest vaccination site is in Soekarno-Hatta Airport. It has served around 26 thousand people since July 3, 2021,” PT AP II president director Muhammad Awaluddin informed.

The high demand for vaccinations has created the need for an information technology application for provision of vaccine services, he said. Currently, AP II is conducting a trial to digitize vaccination services, in accordance with Health Minister’s Circular Letter Number 847/2021, he added.

The letter regulates the digital integration of health documents of air transport passengers using PeduliLindungi apps, he said. This is expected to accelerate the administration process at airports and prevent document forgeries, the president director explained.

The online document validation will be conducted by the Health Ministry’s Port Health Office (KKP) as well as airline crews at check-in counters using barcode scanner and/or microsite PeduliLindungi apps, Awaluddin informed.

Furthermore, a real-time monitoring dashboard has been installed at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport’s vaccination facility, which serves 24-hour flights, to show the number of people who have registered, are under observation, and other related information, he said. The system aims to monitor vaccine availability at the KKP, he added.

AP II will keep operating the vaccination centers to help passengers meet the required health protocols — bringing vaccination certificates to get on board, Awaluddin stated.

The facilities are also expected to accelerate the government’s national vaccination program to create herd immunity against the pandemic, he added.

Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin has lauded the digitalization attempt and encouraged AP II to maintain the application consistently. He also asked the laboratory integrated with the new-all record (NAR) system to upload test results to PeduliLindungi apps regularly.

Collaboration among the Health Ministry, AP II, and Traveloka – an online travel corporation – is crucial to support the national vaccination program, Sadikin said.

The ‘Vaccination in Airports’ program has been organized from July 12-July 25, 2021 for people aged 18 and above as well as the elderly. First COVID-19 vaccine doses have been provided free of cost to 14 thousand people under the program, the minister informed.

The vaccination facilities have been fully supported by the provincial government, regional government, National Police (Polri), Indonesian National Defense Forces (TNI), airlines, as well as other various institutions, he said.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The government will take strict action against demonstrators found violating health protocols on the grounds they can endanger public safety, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud MD has warned.

To that end, law enforcement officers serve as an important force to help the government protect public safety, he said in Jakarta on Saturday.

He made the remarks in response to a rally planned in Jakarta to protest against the enforcement of emergency community activity restrictions (PPKM).

“The government is making an endeavor to handle COVID-19. In implementing the policy to handle the pandemic, it sticks to the substance of our constitution, namely to protect the people’s safety,” the minister noted.

He said the government will not ban any activity held to express aspirations during the COVID-19 pandemic, provided it is carried out in accordance with the health protocols.

“In principle, the government is open and responsive to all aspirations of the public. However, in the midst of the pandemic, it would be better to convey the aspirations through communication channels, in accordance with the health protocols,” he added.

The government listens to all public aspirations and is responsive to all proposals, Mahfud assured.

“The government listens to all the aspirations and takes them into account in making various decisions. Nothing has gone unheeded,” he said.

For example, the government has taken swift action to respond to citizens’ proposals related to self-paid vaccinations and foreign workers, he added.

He called on the public to stay alert for certain groups trying to capitalize on public unrest.

“The government knows a group of people who are intent to capitalize on the situation. There is a pure group and a non-pure group. They only want to challenge and capitalize on the situation. Therefore, we must exercise caution,” the minister said.

In anticipation of the rally, Jakarta Metropolitan Police’s Traffic Directorate has stationed 350 traffic police officers to guard roads around the State Palace.

“There are 350 personnel (deployed),” Jakarta Police’s traffic director, Senior Commissioner Sambodo Purnomo Yogo, confirmed here on Saturday.

Responding to posters urging the public to join a march from Glodok to the State Place to protest against the PPKM, which have gone viral lately, the Jakarta Police has appealed to the public to not participate in protests on the streets to express their reservations to PPKM.

Source: Antara News

Papua has been struggling to cope with a drastic rise in COVID-19 cases over the past few weeks, with the Delta variant of the coronavirus beginning to tighten its grip on Indonesia’s easternmost province.

Cases of the more contagious and transmissible Delta variant in Merauke district were confirmed quite recently by the Health Ministry’s Health Research and Development Agency (Litbangkes).

As disclosed by the Merauke COVID-19 task force spokesperson, Neville Maskita, on July 20, 2021, the cases of the Delta variant were confirmed based on lab tests of samples sent to the agency’s laboratory.

“The Litbangkes announced on Monday evening (July 20, 2021) that the COVID-19 Delta variant had spread to Merauke, Papua, based on the lab test results of samples sent to the agency,” Maskita said.

On July 22, the task force recorded 421 COVID-19 cases, with the majority of patients placed in self-isolation and 40 hospitalized at the Merauke public hospital.

To deal with the COVID-19 surge in the district, the task force has asked the Health Ministry to deliver more medical oxygen and ventilators. “May the ministry meet our request,” Maskita said.

Currently, coronavirus infections have spread to 18 districts and cities across the province, according to the Papua COVID-19 task force.

Six of the affected areas are located in Papua’s mountainous regions in the districts of Jayawijaya, Lanny Jaya, Tolikara, Pegunungan Bintang, Paniai, and Puncak Jaya, the task force’s spokesperson, Silwanus Sumule, said.

The 12 other affected regions comprise Jayapura City and the districts of Jayapura, Merauke, Boven Digul, Asmat, Mappi, Mimika, Biak Numfor, Supiori, Kepulauan Yapen, Nabire, and Keerom.

On July 21, Papua recorded 570 additional cases, bringing the total number of infections since the pandemic struck the province last year to 31,204 .

Of the total number of COVID-19 patients, 24,825 have fully recovered from the infection, 688 others have succumbed to the virus, and 5,691 remain hospitalized, Sumule informed.

“Local residents are again requested to keep complying with the government’s health protocols anytime they do outdoor activities,” he said.

Amid the alarming spike in infections, the Papua administration has asked residents to be prepared for a month-long lockdown in August, 2021 after the micro-scale public activity restrictions (PPKM Mikro) end on July 25.

During the lockdown, all entry points to Papua province would be closed to curb an exponential increase in COVID-19 infections in communities, spokesperson for the Papua governor, Muhammad Rifai Darus, said earlier.

The detailed rules of the lockdown, which would entail the closure of airports and seaports from August 1 to August 31, 2021, were deliberated at the Papua COVID-19 task force’s meeting on July 21, he informed.

On July 19, 2021, Papua Governor Lukas Enembe and his counterparts from all over Indonesia held a virtual meeting with President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) to discuss the country’s COVID-19 pandemic situation, he said.

Following the meeting, Governor Enembe initiated a meeting with his subordinates to discuss Papua’s COVID-19 pandemic situation, he added.

Enembe also issued a letter, No.440/7736/SET, notifying the enforcement of PPKM Mikro until July 25, 2021, Darus said.

Though the Papua administration has been regularly evaluating the enforcement of the PPKM Mikro, the governor has instructed all authorities to intensify coordinated COVID-19 mitigation efforts, he added.

Papua has come under the spotlight of Indonesia’s media outlets as it is scheduled to host this year’s PON National Games and National Para Games (Peparnas).

The PON National Games will take place in Jayapura City and the districts of Jayapura, Mimika, and Merauke from October 2 to October 15, while the Peparnas will be held from November 2 to November 15.

At least 6,400 athletes and 3,500 officials from 34 provinces across Indonesia are expected to participate in Papua’s PON National Games, which will feature 37 events.

Meanwhile, 1,935 athletes and 740 officials will take part in the National Para Games in Jayapura City and Jayapura district, which will feature 12 events.

To ensure the safety of athletes and officials participating in the PON National Games and National Para Games, President Widodo has asked the concerned agencies to inoculate all athletes.

The President has also instructed that local residents living near all venues of the sporting events and athletes’ villages be vaccinated, according to Youth and Sports Minister Zainudin Amali.

The Papua administration is striving to flatten the COVID-19 curve though the situation seems to have become quite challenging for the province’s healthcare system, with several hospitals overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients.

To address this situation, Papua cannot work alone. The central government and all related stakeholders must assist the province to bring the soaring COVID-19 cases under control.

It is time to show the spirit of “gotong royong” (mutual cooperation) and a true sense of Indonesianness to the Papua administration and people in dire need of help in the province.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The central executive board of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (DPP PSI) has ordered its cadres to monitor local government work programs related to the handling of COVID-19 in their regions.

Monitoring or inspection is one form of people’s control to ensure government work programs are on target, the party said.

Among the programs for combating COVID-19 that need to be monitored are social aid distribution to the public and the acceleration of COVID-19 vaccinations, acting chairman of PSI, Giring Ganesha, said in a written statement released in Jakarta on Saturday (July 24, 2021).

“So, in addition to accelerating vaccine distribution, we have asked for allowance aid for health workers and the social aid distribution to be closely monitored by PSI cadres in their respective regions,” Ganesha added.

“We will help people in need, but also criticize the local government so that the COVID-19 handling schemes function as expected throughout Indonesia,” he remarked.

He then urged PSI cadres to keep working to assist people, especially those who are struggling due to the impact of the pandemic.

“We hope that PSI cadres are always present and work for the people, especially for the lower-middle to the lowest class societies that have been deeply affected by the pandemic,” Ganesha said.

“Peddlers, workers who rely on a daily income, single moms, people with disabilities, orphans, and so on — we must fight for them, assist them with vaccinations,” he stressed.

“PSI has helped the government program, which aims to accelerate vaccine distribution by setting up a vaccination center in Cidodol, Kebayoran Lama sub-district, Jakarta,” he said.

PSI has cooperated with the South Jakarta Health Office and other regional assemblies for organizing vaccinations at the center, he informed.

The vaccination drive in Cidodol, which will end on July 31, 2021, is targeting 3,500 people, or 500 vaccine recipients per day, he said.

People who came to the vaccination center on Friday (July 23, 2021) were enthusiastic, he added.

“People’s enthusiasm is high, the vaccination site is adequate (in size), and the execution is neat and organized. I am grateful for the hard work of all PSI cadres of DKI Jakarta,” Ganesha remarked..

Source: Antara News