Day: November 26, 2021

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COVID-19 handling spokesperson lauds security guards, receptionists

Government spokesperson for COVID-19 Handling, Reisa Broto Asmoro, has lauded security officers, hotel door guards, and receptionists and front office staff at shopping centers for their help in handling the pandemic.

“To the Indonesian Security Guard Professional Association (APSI), we thank you very much for (your) professionalism so far in ensuring that public spaces are safe from COVID-19,” she said at an online press conference, as seen here on Friday.

Security guards and front office staff contribute a lot by ensuring the use of the PeduliLindungi application, she noted. She said she expressed appreciation for them because many people do not understand the importance of their role.

“The slightest action that prevents us from regressing back to an emergency condition is a heroic act that we need to appreciate,” she remarked.

She asked security guards and front office staff to consistently ensure that only visitors who have tested negative for COVID-19 and have been vaccinated can access public spaces.

“We always appreciate all the contributions of community members from high-ranking officials, national defense force or police force members, health workers, volunteers, housewives, and children who brought us to this better situation,” she said.

She also asked business players operating shopping centers or malls to impose strict health protocols, including through the use of the PeduliLindungi application at every entrance. This is important so that there are no active COVID-19 patients in malls, she highlighted.

“The market and offices must also do the same,” she stressed.

She said she believed that the public can adapt to various regulations, including the Instruction of the Home Affairs Ministry Number 62 of 2021, which stipulates the prevention and control of COVID-19 during the upcoming Christmas and New Year holidays.

The instruction, which takes effect from December 24, 2021 to January 2, 2022, directs all levels of regional governments to the smallest units such as RT, (neighborhood association) and other stakeholders, to follow the health protocols in a disciplined manner, she added.

Source: Antara News

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La Nina could cause extreme weather in West Kalimantan: official

West Kalimantan residents must remain alert for extreme weather on account of the La Nina phenomenon during the period from December 2021 to January 2022, an official has said.

“It is known that the 2019 La Nina occurred in the middle of the year and this is the end of the year, so usually if the level reaches two, an El Nino phenomenon could appear,” head of the Mempawah Climatology Station, West Kalimantan, Luhur Tri Uji Prayitno, said in Pontianak on Friday.

The La Nina cycle is erratic and can range from three to even seven years, he noted. For the current La Nina cycle, December 2021 will be the peak, so people must be prepared so its impact can be minimized, he said.

“At the end of this month we have to be careful because there could still be an increase in rainfall,” Prayitno warned.

He cited data projecting a 20–40 percent increase in rainfall in the West Kalimantan region in December 2021. The increase in rainfall is expected to occur in upstream, middle, and coastal areas, he said.

“Rainfall will increase by 20 percent, from the Sambas and Bengkayang areas it will increase by 40 percent, then the Singkawang, Landak, Mempawah, Pontianak, Sanggau, Sintang, Kubu Raya and North Kayong areas will also experience a 40-percent increase in rainfall,” he elaborated.

In January 2022, rainfall is forecast to rise 20 percent, but in some areas, the increase is expected to be more than 40 percent, Prayitno said.

“(In) January 2022, the areas of Sambas, Bengkayang, Singkawang, Landak, Mempawah, and Pontianak will experience an increase (in rainfall) of up to 40 percent,” he informed.

After March 2022, the climate is predicted to be neutral, he noted. In March, rainfall is still expected to increase, but compared to normal rainfall, the increase will almost be the same, which is 20 percent, he said. Thereafter, the precipitation will decrease until it returns to normal, he predicted.

Source: Antara News

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Vice House Speaker urges gov’t to bar S African tourists

Vice House Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad has urged the government to refuse entry to tourists from South Africa and other countries where the B.1.1.529 coronavirus variant has been detected to prevent imported cases.

The Health Ministry should promptly conduct research to find accurate information about the new variant of the coronavirus, Ahmad said in a statement released here on Friday.

“I think it is important (for the Health Ministry) to do that as part of prevention and mitigation efforts to protect the Indonesian people from the new variant of COVID-19,” he elaborated.

The Vice House Speaker said that based on the information he has received, the B.1.1.529 variant has twice as many mutations as the Delta variant.

“The government must take a firm step to prevent the entry of the B.1.1.529 variant, which is reportedly more severe than the Delta variant,” he added.

When the Delta variant spread in Indonesia, many hospitals were overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients, healthcare workers became exhausted, medicines and oxygen became difficult to find, and many patients succumbed to the infection, he noted.

Indonesian tourists who have just returned from other countries must undergo quarantine to ensure that they are not exposed to the new variant of COVID-19, he said.

Source: Antara News

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Greater challenges ahead in facing disasters: BMKG

The challenges faced by Indonesians in facing potential disasters amid the COVID-19 pandemic will be even greater, head of the Public Meteorology Center of the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency (BMKG), Fachri Radjab, has warned.

More cautious steps are needed to handle people who are affected by disasters and need to be accommodated in evacuation shelters, he said.

“For example, when it comes to evacuation shelters, the evacuees must be conditioned to follow the health protocols. If there is evacuation, rescue, the challenge will also be greater,” he remarked at an online dialogue, accessed from here on Friday.

He said 98 percent of potential hydro-meteorological disasters occur in Indonesia and will occur throughout the year.

During the rainy season from December 2021 to January and February 2022, Indonesians will face potential floods, flash floods, and landslides, he cautioned.

Then, during the change in season, there may be heavy rains over a short duration, strong winds, small-scale tornadoes, and hail, he said.

Meanwhile, from June to September 2022, drought and forest and land fires are expected to occur, he added.

He asserted that currently, most regions in the county have entered the rainy season, especially with the occurrence of the La Nina phenomenon, which can cause the intensity of rainfall to increase by 20–70 percent from normal.

The La Nina phenomenon is expected to continue until the rainy season ends in April 2022, he said.

An increase in rainfall is expected to occur in parts of Sumatra, Java, Bali, West Nusa Tenggara, and parts of Sulawesi, he informed.

For that reason, BMKG will continue to provide information on early detection through impact-based weather forecasts up to the sub-district level throughout the country as well as work to increase the accuracy of information resolution, he informed.

“Public response is no less important. No matter how sophisticated the BMKG tools are, no matter how accurate the information is, no matter how fast the dissemination is, if the public can’t understand our information and don’t follow it, it will not be optimal,” he remarked.

Source: Antara News

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G20 Bali Summit to emphasize importance of mangrove restoration

The G20 Summit in Bali in 2022 will emphasize the importance of the Indonesian government’s mangrove restoration program, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, has said.

“President Joko Widodo will convey a message to world leaders about the importance of mangrove restoration in generating carbon credits (at the summit),” Pandjaitan remarked while inspecting mangrove plantation sites in Bali on Thursday.

The program has received funding of US$1.2 billion, he said in a written statement in Jakarta on Friday. Countries and world leaders in the forum must take concrete action on mangrove restoration, he added.

Currently, the government is running a mangrove restoration program in an area of 600 thousand hectares and mangrove planting in Bali is part of the mangrove restoration program, the minister said.

“To date and next year, we will restore almost 200 hectares and most of the funds will come from the state budget,” he noted.

The extent of mangrove restoration carried out by Indonesia will provide value in the form of carbon credits and prove more valuable for the nation, Pandjaitan informed.

Therefore, the ministry, along with the state-run electricity company (PLN) and the financial services authority (OJK), is finalizing the derivative rules related to the carbon credit in question, he said.

“We are currently completing derivative rules regarding the implementation of carbon pricing and carbon trading because Indonesia is one of the superpower countries in carbon credits,” he added.

Indonesia’s high carbon credit will become a strength, he opined. This potential must be managed and utilized optimally, he added. With this, the nation could make hundreds of dollars over the next few years and generate jobs for generations to come, he explained.

The Coordinating Minister said his working visit to Bali was intended to ensure that there are no problems and obstacles during the G20 Summit, which is scheduled to be held in 2022.

Things like handling waste problems and the use of clean energy should be started before preparing for the event, he remarked.

He said he also hopes all preparations and needs related to the G20 Summit will be completed soon.

“Because we have experience with the Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) last time. The obstacles are minor. There are 20 meeting spots (for the G20 Summit), so it is not only in Bali. The target is to finish in August next year,” Pandjaitan affirmed.

Source: Antara News

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Minister optimistic of fulfilling children’s right to education

Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Minister Bintang Puspayoga underscored the significance of fulfilling the right to education for women and children, especially those who are victims of violence.

“Apart from psychosocial assistance, education must also be considered. All these children are not only the responsibility of their parents but they are also our responsibility, especially in fulfilling their basic rights,” Puspayoga noted in a press release on Friday regarding her visit to Rumah Aman in East Nusa Tenggara.

On the occasion, the minister provided specific assistance packages to 16 adult women and 12 children.

Several obstacles are encountered to fulfill the children’s education rights in Rumah Aman, such as the difficulty to transfer children, who earlier attended private schools, to public schools.

Puspayoga also pressed for greater synergy among all regional apparatuses, both at the district and provincial government levels, to provide easy access to education for children, who are victims of violence.

“We must coordinate with the regional government to solve this problem,” she affirmed.

Mikel Presty Carlo Moata, a social worker at the Rumah Aman in Waingapu, agreed that governments from all levels must commit to providing a policy for children, who are victims of violence, especially pertaining to their right for education.

“Hopefully, the local government would be able to provide education for these children,” Moata stated.

In addition, Moata suggested related stakeholders to include learning modules regarding threats of violence in the education curriculum for children and women.

“I hope the Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry would work along with relevant ministries or institutions to create a new formula in learning models that pay attention to the physical, psychological, social, and spiritual aspects for children,” Moata added.

Source: Antara News

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Minister to expedite programs for human resources’ improvement in 2022

Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Minister Nadiem Anwar Makarim will continue policies to improve the quality of Indonesian human resources, especially in education, by upscaling programs, including School as Driving Force and the Freedom Campus.

“In future, it is impossible for us to provide something regressive. We certainly always encourage progress. All things, such as the development and distribution of free technology platforms for schools, we will definitely improve and always improve,” the minister stated while speaking on a national television program, as seen from here on Friday.

Makarim noted that in future, he will create various other programs, such as for coaxing more practitioners to become lecturers at campuses, which will start next year.

He also emphasized that the ministry will continue to expand the scale of the School as Driving Force Program, increase the number of students involved in the Merdeka Campus, and increase the supply of certified internship opportunities and independent study projects and the scope of Motivating Teachers.

“Hence, next year, there will be several extended programs that would be just starting, (but since) we found the formula, now we (can and) will expand it next year. Scaling up is one of the priorities for next year,” the minister remarked.

He expected that this measure would better Indonesia’s future, as it can contribute to the biggest and most rampant national innovation in terms of human resource system.

“My big hope is that in the next 10 years, people will see this era as an era where we do various things that will certainly cause some degree of discomfort for those who have to change,” he added.

Source: Antara News

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Child Protection Ministry invites children to Virtual Education Tour

The Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection invited all Indonesian children from 34 provinces to a fun learning experience through a Virtual Education Tour in commemoration of World Children’s Day celebrated on November 20.

“During the pandemic, all children should be able to learn from their homes,” the Ministry’s Child’s Right Fulfillment Department Deputy, Agustina Erni, stated during the Virtual Education Tour press conference here on Friday.

“Hence, the ministry collaborates with Jakarta’s Amateur Astronomer Association (HAAJ) to hold this activity, so that every child can receive knowledge and happily study through a virtual tour to explore space,” she noted.

During the event, Indonesian children from all provinces could experience a virtual tour to explore the planetarium, learn about the solar system and sky phenomenon, as well as directly observe the sun guided by HAAJ’s representatives.

Beyond educational purposes, this activity is held to nurture the spirit of Indonesian children to aim high and reach for the sky and to cultivate hope as much as possible despite the pandemic.

Erni’s ministry expects that Indonesian children would become more motivated to create a better world in future while also reminding adults to participate with them.

This spirit aligns with the World Children’s Day 2021 campaign that upholds the theme “A Better Future for Every Child.”

“For all of you children, I hope that you would be able to learn as much as possible. Do not be shy to ask questions because this knowledge is very good to expand all of your horizons,” she affirmed.

“I wish all of you Indonesian children a happy World Children’s Day. Never stop learning and always be happy,” she remarked.

Source: Antara News

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