November 16, 2021 – Page 3 – Indonesia News Gazette

November 16, 2021

Health Ministry believes 60% vaccination target achievable by 2021-end

A spokesperson for COVID-19 Vaccination from the Health Ministry Siti Nadia Tarmizi is confident that Indonesia can achieve the 60-percent COVID-19 vaccination coverage target by the end of 2021.

“Our homework was to vaccinate at least 60 percent of our target by the end of this year. We had exceeded the 40-percent target of the World Health Organization (WHO). Right now, we have focused on pursuing the 60-percent vaccination target,” Tarmizi noted during a webinar on prevention of the third wave during Christmas and Year-End Holidays on Tuesday.

The spokesperson later explained that Indonesia had achieved 40 percent of the WHO target for complete vaccination dosage by 2021-end. As many as 40 percent of Indonesia’s vaccine recipients had received the full dose of vaccination by November 14, while 130 million people, or about 63 percent, have received the first dose of vaccination, Tarmizi remarked.

“We are one of the five countries, with the highest vaccination coverage and the number of vaccine recipients,” she pointed out.

Tarmizi, concurrently the Director of Direct Infectious Diseases Prevention and Control at the Health Ministry, spoke of the Indonesian government currently pursuing vaccination in remote areas in Indonesia. Vaccination in remote areas encountered far greater challenges as compared to the vaccination program in developed areas that had easy access to health facilities.

“If we look at rural areas, there are people who have to take a boat or have to spend the night to reach the nearest health facility. We have started vaccination in border and remote areas,” Tarmizi remarked.

She affirmed that vaccination, in general, has been one of the government’s programs long before the COVID-19 pandemic. Indonesia’s citizens were accustomed to the basic immunization program for toddlers implemented annually.

“This meant that vaccination was not a new program in Indonesia. We have seen routine immunizations for children. We already had the infrastructure and supporting human resources, such as health workers. We were only expanding the coverage for COVID-19 vaccination,” she concluded.

Source: Antara News

November 16, 2021

Surabaya takes precautionary measures against new COVID-19 variants

Surabaya Mayor Eri Cahyadi has taken some precautionary measures against a third wave of COVID-19, or the delta plus variant, that has surfaced in several countries.

Cahyadi noted in Surabaya on Tuesday that his administration had conveyed this measure at a meeting in Grand City on Monday night, November 15, with the East Java regional leadership forum. They discussed ways to expedite vaccination as a precautionary measure against new COVID-19 variants and preparations for the Christmas and New Year’s 2022.

“If you look at the six Level 1 community activities restriction indicators in Surabaya City. Until today, the death rate is zero. Moreover, hospitalization is at 0.65 and confirmed cases at 1.78,” he remarked.

Cahyadi reminded that the most important aspect in future was consistently conducting testing, tracing and treatment (3T) activities. Until now, testing in Surabaya City had reached 0.12, with tracing at 29.63 and treatment at 1.34.

“This means the 3T capacity in Surabaya is quite adequate,” he remarked.

According to data as of November 14, 2021, there were still seven active cases of a total of some 2.9 million residents in the city. However, the mayor emphasized that no one should be careless in spite of the number of active cases being below 10.

To address this situation, the mayor highlighted that his administration had prepared several steps as a precautionary measure against the surge of the COVID-19 new wave. The first step is to increase 4T efforts of tracking, tracing, testing, and treatment in a consistent and integrated manner.

“This is what we are doing continuously for almost 24 hours until today. We collaborate with public health centers, villages, sub-districts, Babinsa, Bhabinkamtibmas, and even tracer volunteers,” he affirmed.

The testing activities involve three entities, comprising the city government, national defense force, and police force. On the other hand, active case finding is conducted through an RT-PCR examination in an integrated manner.

The mayor stated that active surveillance was applied in monitoring and evaluation activities (Monev) for face-to-face learning (PTM), which was limited to members of the education unit.

“We do this during the evaluation for face-to-face learning in schools. Despite an increase (in the number of cases) sometimes, after we block the area, it can go down again,” he remarked.

On the other hand, the operation to impose health protocols was consistently conducted round the clock by the three pillars at the sub-district and village levels. He noted that the teams visited crowded places on a daily basis, with the objective of ensuring that citizens are following health protocols in a disciplined manner.

The city government is also taking precautionary measures against the third wave through the Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) examination for positive cases of CT &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;20. They are committed to providing additional services to these residents in the event of CT &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;20 being found. On the other hand, mass swabs in high-risk areas at the RT, RW, and village levels are also conducted on a massive scale.

“We are very careful as to not let the cases rise in Surabaya City. We also block border areas with RT/RW for monitoring travelers. We always say that the greatness of Surabaya lies in the strength of the RT/RW and not the Surabaya city government,” he remarked.

Cahyadi noted that the Surabaya city government had conducted a rapid evacuation for those testing positive for COVID-19 to a round-the-clock operational quarantine location, including the Hajj Dormitory Hotel (HAH), Sukolilo District, Surabaya.

“We will separate the sick (positive) residents. We think that if we want to be free or reduce the number of COVID-19 cases, we will give the sick a separate place,” he concluded.

Source: Antara News

November 16, 2021

COVID-19 case decline in Indonesia, India due to similar pattern

The number of COVID-19 cases in Indonesia and India have declined due to a similar pattern wherein a vast majority of people from both nations were infected by the coronavirus, a scholar of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia, Prof. Tjandra Yoga Aditama noted in a statement.

India had conducted a COVID-19 antibody test for its citizens in two major cities of New Delhi, its capital, and Mumbai, its industrial center, Aditama stated during the webinar titled “Christmas and New Year Holidays: Strategies to Prevent New Variants of COVID-19” here on Tuesday.

“In New Delhi, although the results have not been published officially in international journals, the results of antibody tests on the public were found to be 90-percent positive while 86 percent positive in Mumbai,” he pointed out.

Aditama assessed that on account of almost all communities in the two major cities having contracted the infection, India had managed to reduce the rate of COVID-19 cases quite significantly and rapidly, as their case counts continue to plummet.

Aditama, a resident of India during his time as the WHO director, stated that the pattern of COVID-19 cases that noticeably declined in India bore similarity to the pattern in Indonesia.

In mid-2021, Indonesia recorded a peak in COVID-19 cases that was then followed by a decline two months thereafter. Subsequently, the number of cases remained below one thousand per day since October 15.

Nevertheless, he stressed that the world was still facing uncertainty while recalling that the COVID-19 pandemic had prolonged for two years.

Aditama pressed for researchers to study further information to prevent and control cases in a better way.

The scholar gauged that ancient diseases can be mitigated through adequate prevention and treatment procedures, as they already possess the related information on them.

Source: Antara News

November 16, 2021

Indonesia-Saudi Arabia discussions on umrah regulation to commence

Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto confirmed to Indonesia having received a diplomatic note from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia regarding discussions centering around holding umrah.

“We can start the discussion regarding umrah. This is particularly to resume the umrah pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia from Indonesia once the condition has been set by the two parties,” Hartarto, concurrently head of the COVID-19 and National Economy Recovery Handling Team, noted during an online press conference, Tuesday.

The minister later expounded that Saudi Arabia initially only recognized the COVID-19 vaccines they used: AstraZeneca, Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson.

Later, Saudi Arabia allowed the Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines in the country, completed by a vaccine booster.

However, the vaccine booster in Indonesia can only be administered in January 2022 since the government still has to pursue the target of injecting the first vaccine dose to 70 percent of the community and the second dose to 40 percent of the community.

“Responding to this matter, the religious affairs minister will conduct diplomacy with its Saudi partners and will immediately send a team this week,” he remarked.

Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin will thereafter also communicate with the Ministry in Saudi Arabia to elaborate on the condition of COVID-19 handling in Indonesia that is under control and has received level 1 recognition from the World Health Organization (WHO).

Likewise, several countries, such as Australia, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates, have also recognized the effectiveness of the Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines.

“With various countries having acknowledged (the efficacy of) Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines along with our ability to handle COVID-19 in the country, we hope for umrah pilgrimage to resume in Saudi Arabia,” Hartarto noted.

On the same occasion, Chairman of the Hajj and Umrah Travel Agency Association (Forum SATHU) Fuad Hasan Masyhur noted that his meeting with Hartarto aimed to provide inputs and highlight expectations regarding the Hajj and Umrah industry that had not been active for two years.

“The coordinating minister has offered a glimmer of hope, not only to us as an agency but also to the public. By God’s will, we will return to the Baitullah,” he affirmed.

Source: Antara News

November 16, 2021

Moeldoko encourages development of games for training troops

Chief of the Presidential Staff Office, Moeldoko, on Tuesday encouraged game developers to create digital games that could be used for training troops before their mobilization on real combat missions.

“I encourage game developers to create a digital game that could be used to train our troops before their mobilization to a real combat mission,” he said while visiting digital game developer company Agate, Bandung, West Java, according to a statement released by the Presidential Staff Office in Jakarta.

He compared intelligence operations before combat warfare with the “most effective tactic available” (META) principle — gamers’ effort to explore the most effective method to beat the game or opponents — which is well-known in the gaming community.

He also spent time playing Road to Anfield, a bicycle game based on virtual reality during the visit to Agate.

After observing the game development process at the company, Moeldoko lauded the impressive national digital gaming technology and infrastructure development, comparing it with the global game development industry.

Indonesia’s gaming industry is currently valued at Rp16 trillion (around US$1.12 billion) from the overseas trade and derivative industry, he noted.

The chief of staff informed that his visit to Agate was also aimed at observing the progress of preparations for the Esports President’s Cup, scheduled in December 2021 in Bali.

Meanwhile, Esports President’s Cup organizing committee head Rangga Danu Prasetyo said that two mobile games made by Indonesian developers would also be featured in the digital gaming matches.

The two games are Lokapala, developed by Anantarupa Studios, and Battle of Satria Dewa, developed by Semisoft and BANG Indonesia, the organizing committee head revealed.

“The Presidential Cup is being held to support and popularize the national gaming industry at the international stage — this has been our common goal on our mission to develop the national Esports ecosystem,” Prasetyo said.

Source: Antara News

November 16, 2021

President Jokowi inaugurates Section I of Serang-Panimbang Toll Road

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) inaugurated the 26.5-kilometer-long Serang-Rangkasbitung Toll Road, the first section of the Serang-Panimbang Toll Road.

“With Bismillahirahmannirrahim (In the name of Allah, The Most Gracious and The Most Merciful), I, this morning, inaugurate the Serang-Panimbang Section I toll road,” Jokowi stated at the Rangkasbitung toll gate, Banten Province, on Tuesday.

Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi, Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Minister Basuki Hadimuljono, Banten Governor Wahidin Halim, Lebak District Head Iti Octavia Jayabaya and other related officials witnessed the inauguration.

“Now Alhamdulillah (Thank God), the Serang-Rangkasbitung lane of the Serang-Panimbang Section I toll road has already been built and is ready to be operated. Construction will then continue of Section II of the 24-kilometer-long Rangkasbitung-Cileles lane and the 33-kilometer-long Cileles-Panimbang lane that will be completed Insya Allah (by God’s will) by 2023,” he expounded.

Toll road is one of the infrastructures, built by the government, that can potentially be Indonesia’s foundation to compete with other countries, according to the head of state.

“I mean what we are pursuing is our competitiveness. It is impossible for one country to outdo the other nations if its competitiveness index is still lower. This is because for anything without infrastructure, the goods’ prices will be higher, and that is what we are pursuing,” he stressed.

With the presence of infrastructure, manufactured goods in the country can be better distributed, thereby making them cheaper, he emphasized.

“It means that infrastructure improves the logistic networks,” he highlighted.

In addition, infrastructure will create sources of economic growth that facilitate easy distribution of the goods, including in Banten, he remarked.

“(Infrastructure) helps facilitate people, agriculture, and farms to produce. It is a way to help consumers so as to make the process easy and the most important aspect is that by building a road, as many jobs as possible can be created,” he emphasized.

The Serang-Panimbang toll road will connect four districts and towns in Banten Province comprising Serang City and the districts of Serang, Lebak, and Pandeglang.

The toll road was constructed under a public-private partnership (PPP) scheme.

Toll Road Corporation (BUJT), through PT Wijaya Karya Serang Panimbang, as subsidiary of PT Wijaya Karya, is handling the work of the first and second sections, while the government is in charge of the Section 3.

The total investment value for the Serang-Panimbang toll road reaches Rp9.934 trillion.

The 88.76-kilometer-long Serang-Panimbang toll road comprises three sections: Section 1 of the 26.5-kilometer Serang-Rangkasbitung toll road that has been fully completed; Section 2 of the 24.17-kilometer Rangkasbitung-Cileles toll road and Section 3 of the 33-kilometer Cileles-Panimbang that is still under construction.

Source: Antara News

November 16, 2021

Serang-Panimbang Toll Road to boost Banten’s economy: President

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) expressed belief that the Serang-Panimbang Toll Road would help to leverage economic growth in Banten Province, especially for the districts of Lebak and Pandeglang.

“I believe this will offer a leverage (for boosting the) economic (conditions) in Banten Province, in particular, especially around this toll road, those being the districts of Lebak and Pandeglang,” President Jokowi stated at the Rangkasbitung Toll Gate, Banten, on Tuesday.

The Banten Serang-Panimbang Toll Road project, spanning 83.6 kilometers in length, comprises three sections. It was built through collaboration between PT Wijaya Karya Persero Tbk and the government.

President Jokowi expects all sections of the toll road project to be completed by 2023.

Jokowi also emphasized that connectivity, including through the construction of toll roads, is an important factor to push for regional economic growth.

“This infrastructure will improve the logistics network. Infrastructure will also offer new (impetus) for economic growth,” Jokowi remarked.

The president deemed infrastructure as a foundation for the country to boost economic competitiveness to be better against other countries. Without infrastructure, a country’s logistics costs will increase, which in turn drives up the prices of goods and makes them expensive, he pointed out.

Hence, the Serang-Panimbang Toll Road was expected to boost the competitiveness of Banten’s commodities, thereby boosting the income of people of Banten, the president added.

“This also provides facilities for production. People produce, agriculture produces, plantation produces, (all of them) make their way to consumers, so it will be easier,” the president stated.

Banten Governor Wahidin Halim remarked that the Serang-Panimbang Toll Road will proffer wide-ranging benefits to the people of Banten. He drew attention to a request made by the regional head and also the Banten residents to expedite the process to construct the Serang-Panimbang Toll Road for Section III of the 33-kilometer Cileles-Panimbang toll road.

“Hence, the people’s expectations can be realized,” he remarked.

The three sections of the Serang-Panimbang toll road comprise the 26.5-kilometer-long Section I of Serang-Rangkasbitung and Section II of Rangkasbitung-Cileles spanning 24.1 kilometers. These two sections were built by a consortium, with the majority being PT Wijaya Karya (Persero). The third section, which is the 33-kilometer-long Cileles-Panimbang, was built by the government.

Source: Antara News

November 16, 2021

Manpower ministry holds ASEAN workshop to discuss foreign labor

The Manpower Ministry held the ASEAN regional workshop on information exchange policies, foreign labor (TKA) mechanisms, regulations, and arrangements among ASEAN member countries.

Director General of Labor Placement Development and Employment Opportunity Expansion (Binapenta and PKK) at the ministry, Suhartono, highlighted that one of the objectives behind holding the workshop was to share information and best practices among officials giving permits for placement of foreign workforce.

“(It discussed) law, mechanisms, and challenges (of foreign labor) in each ASEAN member state,” Suhartono noted in a written statement received here on Tuesday.

According to Suhartono, the workshop includes a dialog on strengthening cooperation between ASEAN countries to increase the capacity of practitioners giving work permits.

Moreover, it promoted work permit procedures among ASEAN countries and disseminated some information and data on the existing foreign workforce to create a better understanding of the current situation.

“We promote the possibility of establishing communication networks and discussion forums as well as updating the development of TKA regulations in the ASEAN,” Suhartono noted.

He stated that the COVID-19 pandemic had hit almost all countries in the world, including in the ASEAN, and had a major impact in the field of labor. All parties must collaborate to overcome this, he affirmed.

In the endeavors to surmount the crisis, the manpower ministry welcomes all research, coordination, and cooperation through the ASEAN secretariat.

“I believe that we cannot work alone in facing this problem. At this time of crisis, ASEAN cooperation in the field of the workforce must be closer and more compact. The ASEAN solidarity leaves no single country,” he expounded.

The workshop was divided into five sessions attended by panelists from the ASEAN project regional experts, ILO officials, experts of the Directorate General of Immigration, and the Ministry of Law and Human Rights.

“There were also interactive sessions for all representatives of ASEAN countries, who gave new information on practices and best initiatives,” he added.

Source: Antara News