Day: October 4, 2021

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Organizing committees must form a COVID-19 task force when organizing large-scale events, government spokesperson for COVID-19 handling and Ambassador for Adaptation of New Habits, Reisa Broto Asmoro, has said.

“It is mandatory to have a team that functions as an internal COVID-19 task force in the event. Always coordinate with the regional task force regarding the preparation, permit, implementation as well as after the activities,” she said in a broadcast entitled ‘Stay Alert When Activities Increase’, which was accessed from here on Monday.

Asmoro said the government has issued guidelines for organizing large-scale activities or meetings that include rules for activities before the events start and after they finish.

The regulation requires the committees and the task forces to keep involving the local COVID-19 task force throughout the event process, she added. The formation of a task force is necessary to ensure that all participants are following the health protocols, Asmoro said. The team will also be tasked with establishing connections with the government and the local health facility, especially to prepare the handling of possible infection surges, she added.

Before an event starts, the task force must give all participants health education, ensure that all facilities and infrastructures meet the health protocols standard, and conduct screening of participants, she said.

“The team should give education regarding health to all participants so that all of them have the same understanding, especially regarding transmission prevention,” she explained. The spokesperson emphasized that when holding large-scale events, the committee and task force must also keep following the development of COVID-19 cases, especially the positive case data for the area where the event is held.

During the event, the committee must ensure that medical devices are easily accessible to all participants and continue promoting the health protocols, Asmoro said.

Lastly, the committee should ensure that no COVID-19 transmission has happened during the event by continuing monitoring even after the event has ended, she added.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The increase in Indonesia’s manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) in September 2021 was supported by good handling and control of the pandemic, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, has said.

Indonesia’s manufacturing PMI strengthened to 52.2 in September from 43.7 in August, 2021.

“Through good handling and controlling of the pandemic, we have also succeeded in boosting the manufacturing industry’s performance. It expanded faster, I repeat, faster than the large-scale social restrictions (PSBB),” the minister, who is also Java-Bali public activity restrictions (PPKM) coordinator, noted during a virtual press conference on PPKM development here on Monday. Indonesia’s PMI has also been recorded as one of the best among ASEAN countries, he pointed out.

“I repeat, Indonesia’s PMI becomes one of the best in ASEAN,” he stressed.

The well-controlled COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia has boosted consumption recovery quickly, according to Pandjaitan.

Based on the government’s survey, the spending value index in East Java, Jakarta, and Yogyakarta has nearly reached its pre-pandemic level, he remarked. Indonesia’s manufacturing PMI, which even crossed China’s, has shown that the industry is expanding, he added.

According to official data, Indonesia’s manufacturing PMI was higher than Asian countries, such as China (50) and Japan (51.5), and was also the highest among ASEAN countries, such as Singapore (52.1), Malaysia (48.1), Thailand (48.9), the Philippines (50.9), and Vietnam (40.2).

The rise in the index was driven by the easing of restrictions amid declining COVID-19 cases, which led the manufacturing industry to grow in September after experiencing a deep contraction of 40.1 in July this year, the minister noted.

Source: Antara News

Kupang, E Nusa Tenggara (ANTARA) – The Indonesian–Timor Leste Border Security Task Force has disbursed stationery and sports equipment to students at the Catholic Elementary School in Sallu village, West Miomaffo Sub-district, North Central Timor District, East Nusa Tenggara Province.

“The assistance comprised 345 notebooks, 200 bags, and 1 set of volleyball equipment,” Lieutenant Colonel Andang Radianto, Commander of the Indonesian–Timor Leste Western Sector Border Security Task Force Land Artillery Battalion (Yonarmed) 6/3 of the Army’s Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad), said here on Monday.

The disbursal of the aid aimed to meet the requirement for learning and sports equipment among children living in the region, which borders Oecusse city, Timor Leste. Moreover, he informed, the activity was also conducted to mark the 76th anniversary of the Indonesian National Defense Forces (TNI) on October 5, 2021.

“Thus, in celebrating the anniversary of TNI this year, we give some aids to the students to motivate them to study diligently,” he remarked.

Hence, while disbursing the aid, the border security task force also provided a brief history of TNI to students to broaden their knowledge about the military institution, he said.

The task force also encouraged children to live a healthy lifestyle by drinking milk together, he added. Radianto thanked the school and students for enthusiastically participating in the event.

He said he expected the assistance to be useful for the school and students in supporting their learning activities.

“Hopefully, the assistance will motivate students to keep studying hard to become Indonesia’s great generation which continues to excel,” he added.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The imposition of public activity restrictions (PPKM) outside Java-Bali has again been extended from October 5-18, 2021, with six districts/cities continuing to apply Level 4 restrictions, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said.

“Previously, there were ten districts/cities at Level 4, (now) there are six districts/cities at Level 4,” Hartarto, who is also chairman of the COVID-19 Handling and National Economic Recovery Committee (KPC-PEN), informed at an online press conference on PPKM here on Monday.

The six districts/cities that are still applying Level 4 PPKM are Pidi, Bangka, Padang, Banjarmasin, Bulungan, and Tarakan, he informed.

These six districts/cities have still not met the requirements for their PPKM levels to be lowered because of inadequate testing or an increase in positivity rate, he said. However, there have been COVID-19 control improvements in other districts/cities outside Java-Bali, so Level 3 PPKM outside Java-Bali is currently being applied in 44 districts/cities compared to 108 earlier, the minister informed.

Meanwhile, 292 districts/cities are imposing Level 2 from 249 earlier, and 44 districts/cities are imposing Level 1 PPKM, he said.

“Related to the restriction types of community activities for the October 5-18 period, they will remain the same as the previous PPKM. The face-to-face learning will follow the Education Minister’s direction,” he explained.

Between August 9 to October 3, 2021, Sumatra has recorded a recovery rate of 95.19 percent, a fatality rate of 3.54 percent, and seen a decline in active cases of 91.66 percent, Hartarto said. Nusa Tenggara’s recovery rate has reached 96.78 percent, fatality rate 2.33 percent, and its active cases have declined by 93.79 percent, he said.

Kalimantan’s recovery rate has reached 95.11 percent, fatality rate 3.15 percent, and its active cases have dropped by 87.44 percent, he added.

Meanwhile, Sulawesi has recorded a recovery rate of 95.73 percent, a fatality rate of 2.62 percent, and its active cases have declined by 88.68 percent, he informed. Maluku and Papua have recorded a recovery rate of 95.69 percent, a fatality rate of 1.71 percent, and a decrease in active cases of 88.47 percent, he noted.

“As for the implementation of provincial-level PPKM outside Java-Bali, there are no more provinces applying Level 4 PPKM, while Level 3 PPKM is being applied in 4 provinces, Level 2 in 22 provinces, and one province is applying Level 1,” the minister informed.

Source: Antara News

At least 53,006,923 Indonesians have received their second jab of the COVID-19 vaccine as of Monday, according to data provided by the COVID-19 Response Task Force.

The number of fully vaccinated people rose by 330,871 on Monday compared to the day before, according to the latest data from the task force, made available to ANTARA on Monday.

Meanwhile, the number of Indonesians receiving their first COVID-19 vaccine dose increased by 443,244 to reach 94,223,690 .

As per the data, the number of healthcare workers receiving the third or booster dose of COVID-19 rose by 2,239 to touch 962,619. Overall, Indonesia is seeking to vaccinate 208,265,720 citizens to build herd immunity against the coronavirus under its nationwide vaccination drive, which was rolled out on January 13, 2021.

In the 24 hours ended Monday afternoon, the number of active COVID-19 cases in Indonesia fell by 1,822 to 31,054, data from the task force shows.

However, the number of people contracting SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, increased by 922 to cross 4,220,206. The country reported its first confirmed COVID-19 cases in March 2020.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin has instructed that if the COVID-19 positivity rate in a school reaches more than five percent, face-to-face learning activities (PTM) be temporarily stopped.

“The school will be closed for two weeks, while the school board improves the enforcement of the health protocols,” he stated at a virtual press conference here on Monday.

Meanwhile, if the positivity rate in a school is between one to five percent, students in the same class as the patients will be required to conduct self-isolation, the minister said.

Meanwhile, other classes with no COVID-19 cases will be allowed to continue with PTM, he added. However, if the positivity rate is below 1 percent, only infected students or teachers and their close contacts will be required to undergo self-quarantine, Sadikin said.

“By implementing the regulation, it is expected that we can identify early if any of our students are infected by the pandemic. Do not wait until the virus transmission becomes massive,” he emphasized.

Furthermore, he said that the government will continue to oversee the face-to-face learning process with proper surveillance and health protocols.

“It is because we consider that Indonesian students have to learn in schools as soon as possible, thus they will not lose the opportunity to improve their knowledge directly with their teachers,” he added. Hence, the government will carry out random surveillance in 10 percent of schools conducting PTM in one district or city, the minister informed.

At the schools, the government will take samples from 30 students and three teachers, he said.

Furthermore, the method has begun to be implemented in schools in Jakarta, he added.

“In fact, we still found some positive cases among the students in Jakarta,” he noted.

Thus, the ministry will cooperate with the Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Ministry to improve the quality of the surveillance method, he said.

Source: Antara News

The Indonesian government has made several adjustments in the Java-Bali region, including opening fitness centers and international arrivals at Ngurah Rai Airport, Bali, amid the sloping transmission of COVID-19.

According to Java-Bali Region Community Activities Restrictions (PPKM) Coordinator, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, the opening of fitness centers will only be implemented in the Greater Jakarta, Greater Bandung, Greater Solo, Greater Semarang, Greater Surabaya, and the Special Region of Yogyakarta areas.

The statement was delivered at a press conference that was accessed online from here on Monday.

“Fitness centers may open with a maximum capacity of 25 percent by enforcing strict health protocols and screening through PeduliLindungi apps,” he said.

He also informed that the food and beverage outlets in cinemas have been allowed to open. However, the capacity of the cinemas remains capped at 50 percent, Pandjaitan said. The policy will be applied in districts or cities with Level 3, 2, and 1 of PPKM, he said. “If there are further improvements next week, we will have another adjustment. I want to remind all people that we have to do it gradually and continuously as we do not want something out of control suddenly happening,” the Java-Bali Region PPKM coordinator emphasized.

Furthermore, Ngurah Rai Airport will be opened for international arrivals on October 14, 2021 only if it meets the requirements regarding passengers’ quarantine, COVID-19 tests, and health protocol task force readiness, he added. In addition, all international passengers arriving at the airport will need to bring proof of hotel booking for self-quarantine for a minimum of 8 days at their own expense.

The other adjustment carried out by the government has been the opening of the Honda Developmental Basketball League – a basketball competition for middle and high school students — in Jakarta and Surabaya, Pandjaitan said.

He reminded the public not to be careless as the slightest negligence could cause an increase in the number of cases and lead to tightening of the imposed policies.

“It can bring disadvantages to all of us,” he emphasized.

Source: Antara News