Day: September 9, 2021

Manpower Ministry’s Secretary General Anwar Sanusi stated that the government’s stimulus program had successfully helped by applying pressure to control the unemployment rate.

In the ministry’s official statement received here on Thursday, Sanusi noted that the COVID-19 pandemic had impacted the demand side of the workforce market.

This was apparent from the 18.45 million workers, or 96.6 percent of the total population of the working age group being impacted by COVID-19, he noted.

According to the secretary general, it indicates that work termination during the pandemic did not contribute much to the unemployment rate, in general.

“This is since the government’s efforts in the form of various aid programs or stimulus were quite successful in putting pressure to handle the unemployment figure affected by COVID-19,” Sanusi explained. The term an explosion of unemployment is not quite accurate to use, given how small COVID-19 affects unemployment, despite the fact that the informal sector has acted as a safety net for work force absorption, he elaborated.

“The percentage of work force in the informal sector during the pandemic tends to increase, from 56.64 percent in February 2020 to 59.62 percent in February 2021,” he remarked.

From the regulation side, the Ministry of Manpower has published two ministerial regulations, two ministerial decisions, and four Circulation Letters as precautionary measures against workforce termination due to the pandemic.

In accordance with the aforementioned regulations, the government has published a guideline on remuneration for companies impacted by COVID-19 and the implementation of business activity restrictions to ensure fulfilment of the workers’ rights.

“In offering the Wage Subsidy Aid for 2020 and 2021, the amount of wages paid to workers had been adjusted based on the agreement by businessmen and workers,” he noted.

Source: Antara News

Palangka Raya Mayor Fairid Naparin announced on Thursday that as of Wednesday, the total count of patients who had fully recovered from COVID-19 in the city was recorded at 11,031 following an additional 66 patients having recovered.

In spite of this positive development, he has continued to remind the public to always adhere to health protocols through a disciplined approach.

The Palangka Raya COVID-19 Task Force recorded that a total of 1,145, or 9.04 percent of the infected residents were still undergoing treatment. Some 494 people had died of COVID-19 in the city so far. The death tally did not change from the day before, on September 8.

The data was collected from all parts of Palangka Raya City, including 30 villages within its jurisdiction. The increase recorded in the number of COVID-19 cases was attributed to the government’s concern and commitment to conducting tracing and tracking activities, according to officials. The Palangka Raya city government, through the COVID-19 Task Force, has made efforts to stem the spread of COVID-19, ranging from disseminating information, conducting early detection, and ensuring security in the case-handling process, he remarked.

The city government has urged the public to follow health protocols to minimize the potential risks of the pandemic while emphasizing that the pandemic is unlikely to end anytime soon.

It has also imposed stricter micro-scale community activity restrictions to reinforce prevention and COVID-19 handling at a smaller scale.

The enforcement of micro-scale public activity restrictions has been effective in prevention, early detection, and implementation of health protocols, he said.

Naparin stressed that his administration will constantly seek public participation, down to the RT/RW level, in a bid to stem the spread of COVID-19.

Source: Antara News

Speaker of the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) AA LaNyalla Mahmud Mattalitti has asked the government to anticipate the transmission of the Mu coronavirus variant by tightening entry routes.

“If it (Mu variant) is not anticipated, this variant can transmit in Indonesia, and it is feared that it could cause another COVID-19 tsunami,” he said in an official statement received here on Thursday.

According to Mattalitti, the Mu variant is said to have resistance to the vaccine. The variant was first detected in Colombia and has now been confirmed in 39 countries.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has included it in the list of Variants of Interest, or SARS-CoV-2 variants that have the genetic ability to affect the characteristics of the virus.

“Although not as virulent as the Delta variant, the Mu variant has a prevalence of 0.1 percent of all COVID-19 cases,” Mattalitti observed.

Although no cases of the new variant have been detected in the country, the high mobility and opening up of the transportation sector with foreign countries can put Indonesia at potential risk, the DPD speaker said.

Therefore, the government must tighten entry routes into Indonesia from all arrival gates as an anticipatory measure, he advised.

At a press conference on Wednesday (Sept 8), spokesperson for COVID-19 vaccinations at the Ministry of Health Siti Nadia Tarmizi said that the government has intensified communication with the WHO to monitor the Mu variant’s spread in several countries.

She said that her staff is continuing to coordinate with officers at Indonesian entry gates to formulate policies to anticipate the possibility of the Mu variant entering the country.

Source: Antara News

Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has said that getting more students vaccinated against COVID-19 will accelerate the implementation of face-to-face learning (PTM) in schools.

“As more students are vaccinated, the face-to-face learning process will enhance. I asked if everything has already started. We hope to start (PTM) as soon as possible because we want the students to immediately get the knowledge back in school,” he remarked while reviewing COVID-19 vaccinations at the State High School 3 in Wajo District, South Sulawesi on Thursday, according to a video streamed on the Presidential Secretariat’s YouTube channel.

The President also interacted with several health workers at schools holding vaccinations in Wajo through videoconferencing.

Speaking with a representative of health workers holding a vaccination program at the State Vocational School 1 and State High School 9 in Wajo, the President asked about the number of students targeted by the program and the availability of vaccines.

“Will those 400 people be vaccinated this week?” he asked the representative.

“Insya Allah (God willing), Sir,” the representative replied.

Jokowi also received reports from health workers stating the vaccine availability was sufficient and they could be distributed directly.

After the dialogue, the President urged the public to keep implementing the health protocols to prevent COVID-19 transmission.

“I hope the vaccinations can run smoothly, and the students can attend face-to-face learning. Keep applying the health protocols, especially wearing a mask, do not remove it,” he stressed.

The President was accompanied by First Lady Iriana Joko Widodo when he reviewed COVID-19 vaccinations for the community at the Wewangrewu Health Center, Wajo district.

Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung, TNI Commander Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto, Police Chief General Pol. Listyo Sigit Prabowo, acting Governor of South Sulawesi, Andi Sudirman Sulaiman, and Wajo district head Amran Mahmud also accompanied the President to the vaccination event.

Source: Antara News