Day: December 9, 2021

A smooth and sustainable post-pandemic recovery hinges on the ability of nations to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines for the entire global population, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi has said.

She made the remark in her opening address at the 14th Bali Democracy Forum (BDF), accessed from Jakarta on Thursday.

“We must maintain equitability to ensure that recovery will run fast. In a democracy, equitability is about justice, and in the context of the pandemic, it means giving all people an equal chance to win the battle against COVID-19,” the minister said.

With 28 different COVID-19 vaccines receiving emergency-use authorization, the world already has the weapon needed to put an end to the global pandemic and accelerate recovery, she highlighted.

Yet, equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines for all people is sorely needed to ensure that the recovery runs well, she said.

“Unfortunately, the current global vaccination gap is still very large. Nearly 8.2 billion doses have been distributed on a global scale. However, 80 percent of them went to G20 member states, while low-income countries have received 0.4 percent,” she pointed out.

Judging by the gap, she stressed that democracy is needed in the global distribution of vaccines, with a special focus on those that have not received their first vaccine dose.

According to Marsudi, 64.94 percent of people in high-income countries have received at least the first dose compared to 8.06 percent of citizens in low-income countries.

The Indonesian government has made every effort to ensure that all levels of the community have equitable access to vaccines, she said. Over 142 million Indonesians have been vaccinated so far, she added.

“This is a huge effort but our commitment does not fade away. We have cut bureaucratic obstacles to ensure easier access to vaccines. We also have involved various parties to accelerate our vaccination campaigns,” Marsudi said.

Indonesia’s commitment to equitable global access to COVID-19 vaccines is also being realized at the global level through its role as co-chair of the COVAX AMC Engagement Group and will be demonstrated during its G20 presidency in 2022, she added.

Indonesia is determined to raise the issue of strengthening global health architecture during its G20 presidency, she said.

Source: Antara News

The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a situation wherein developed and developing nations engage in competitive behavior to gain access to COVID-19 vaccines, according to Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati.

“The nature of the pandemic actually caused this sort of (proverbial) competition. Hence, access to vaccines, especially for less developed countries, will become very difficult,” the minister stated at the Finance and Central Bank Deputies Meeting in Nusa Dua, Bali, on Thursday.

Indrawati explained that global production of COVID-19 vaccines should be able to supply vaccines to 80 percent of the world’s population, yet it turned out that the stock was not evenly distributed, especially for poor and developing countries.

COVID-19 vaccination in several developing countries is still lagging behind. It is inversely proportional to vaccinations in developed nations where the rate is pegged at above 80 percent of the population on an average.

Thus, the G20 had formed a Joint Finance Health Task Force to better prepare the world against health-related disasters, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

The G20 Joint Finance Health Task Force focuses on global preparedness to face a pandemic, creating early response strategies, and preventing deeper impacts on social and economic sustainability.

“The damage should not be too significant or large, not only for humans but also for the economy,” the minister emphasized.

Indrawati believes that equal access to COVID-19 vaccines for all countries is one of the agendas in the preparation of an exit strategy or joint policies to surmount the crisis in the G20.

She highlighted that the G20 would form a synchronized exit strategy policy in order to achieve equitable recovery, including in relation to equitable access to vaccines for all countries.

“I believe that through the G20 forum, we will discuss not only communication but also the most important aspect being actions or policies that build global trust,” she added.

Source: Antara News

The Jakarta provincial government has readied several facilities and utilities, such as evacuation shelters and logistics, for tackling coastal flooding due to rising sea levels.

“Some officials have urged us to ready supporting facilities, such as infrastructure, logistics, and evacuation posts,” Jakarta Deputy Governor Ahmad Riza Patria remarked at the Jakarta City Hall on Thursday.

Patria also advised residents to be alert to an increase in high tides that will occur in several regions of Indonesia, including Jakarta, on December 18-22, 2021.

The North Jakarta administration also reminded that its region could still likely experience the highest rise in sea levels twice, on Thursday, Dec 9, and Saturday, Dec 11.

To this end, Patria urged the community to stay vigilant and steer clear of hoaxes or false news on coastal floods.

“We appeal to all citizens to be careful and watchful and always ensure to find accurate and fast information from existing channels. Do not allow any hoax news to add new problems,” he emphasized.

Earlier, Patria had planned to relocate residents affected by coastal floods to flats owned by the Jakarta provincial government.

The deputy governor pointed out that residential plains in the coastal area of North Jakarta were low-lying, so coastal flooding occurred during high tide in the rainy season.

Earlier, coastal flooding hit residents in the northern coast of Jakarta on Friday, Dec 3. The impacted regions were Muara Angke and Muara Baru in Penjaringan Sub-district; Sunda Kelapa Port area; Marunda in Cilincing Sub-district; and the eighth hamlet (RW08) of Ancol in Pademangan Sub-district.

Meanwhile, the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) had stated that coastal flooding, projected to occur on December 18-22, 2021, was due to the full moon in addition to bad weather, high waves, and high-speed winds.

Source: Antara News

Hurdles in implementing health protocols for disabled people depend on the disabilities they have, Social Affairs Presidential Staff Angkie Yudistia stated at the Inclusivity for People with Disabilities Special Dialogue here on Wednesday.

Yudistia noted that disabled people had gotten habituated to implementing health protocols, such as the 5M: washing hands, wearing a mask, maintaining distance, avoiding crowds, and reducing mobility.

However, several challenges are encountered in the implementation process since people with disabilities do not face the same problem.

For instance, people with hearing disabilities have trouble in communicating with other individuals because they cannot see the mouth movements, as everyone has to wear a mask on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, she informed.

In another instance, people with physical disabilities have trouble in implementing health protocols, as it is difficult for them to operate a faucet to wash their hands, according to Yudistia.

To this end, people with disabilities have to bring along sanitizers and utilize technology to help them communicate with others, so they could continue to implement health protocols.

Yudistia also asserted that one of the crucial components in raising awareness of health protocols for people with disabilities is the presence of support from friends and family.

She expects all parties that support this could provide good education, absorb and determine good information, and persuasively explain to people with disabilities the importance of health protocols, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Regardless of the challenges, I laud people with disabilities in Indonesia that have implemented the health protocols ever since the start of the pandemic,” she remarked.

Source: Antara News

The COVID-19 vaccination rate has slowed in several parts of West Java province towards the end of 2021, head of the vaccination division of the province’s COVID-19 Handling Task Force Dedi Supandi has said.

The vaccination rate in West Java has declined from 464 thousand doses per day during the peak of vaccinations to 160 thousand to 200 thousand doses per day, he informed here on Thursday.

Although vaccinations have slowed, the province’s achievement rate is still relatively high compared to other provinces, he pointed out.

“There is no shortage of vaccine stocks that is causing the decline. There are lots of vaccines in West Java, even a surplus of two million. However, we still have the highest achievement with 162 thousand doses per day compared to East Java with 140 thousand doses or even Jakarta with only 25 thousand doses,” he said.

However, given the current vaccination coverage, West Java is not expected to achieve herd immunity by the end of 2021, he noted.

There are a number of factors responsible for the decline in vaccinations, such as people facing trouble in finding vaccination spots, Supandi said.

“The second factor is that some of the elderly and people living in the village do not have identity cards which is a mandatory requirement to receive vaccinations,” he explained.

He said the task force has sought a meeting between the social service and the population and civil registration service to resolve the problem.

“Maybe the solution is to gather people with no identity cards to give them vaccination as well as issuing new identity cards for them,” Supandi said.

To increase the achievement of COVID-19 vaccinations in West Java, he said the task force will prioritize the elderly since they are the most vulnerable group and most of them also have no identity cards.

“As in Sumedang district, the vaccine achievement is good, but they have low coverage in elderly vaccinations. Meanwhile, the highest elderly vaccination coverage is in Sukabumi district,” he added.

Source: Antara News

The death toll from the Mount Semeru eruption in Lumajang district, East Java province, climbed to 43 at 12 p.m. local time on Thursday, Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) said.

The death toll increased after search and rescue workers found four more bodies around the affected areas at 12 noon on Thursday, the agency’s spokesperson, Abdul Muhari, said in a statement issued the same day.

A joint team of rescuers is continuing search efforts in several areas, including Curah Kobokan, Kajar Kuning, Tambang Satuhan/Kebondeli Utara, Kampong Renteng, and Kebondeli Selatan, he added.

They are also continuing to clean up and conduct further assessment in the Kamar Kajang neighborhood of Sumberwuluh village, Muhari said.

The Semeru eruption also injured 104 people and displaced several thousand residents, he noted.

Residents whose houses were badly damaged by volcanic material are currently taking refuge in 121 temporary shelters located across several sub-districts, Muhari said.

Those displaced by the eruption include 2,331 residents of Candipuro sub-district, who are currently being accommodated at 10 temporary shelters, and 1,307 residents of Pasirian sub-district, who are staying in 4 shelters, he informed.

The Mt Semeru eruption also affected 31 public facilities and caused livestock losses, he said.

To help locals whose cattle were affected by the eruption, the Indonesian Veterinarian Association (PDHI)-East Java chapter sent 31 members to the disaster zone, he added.

“We have commenced our door-to-door service since yesterday,” chairperson of PHDI-East Java chapter, Puput Rijal, said earlier.

Apart from providing healthcare services to the affected cattle in areas, such as the hamlets of Sukosari and Kebonagung in Sumberwuluh village, Candipuro sub-district, the veterinarians also handed out vitamins, he informed.

“The Mount Semeru eruption did affect cattle. However, alhamdulillah (thank God), the condition is not as bad as projected earlier,” Rijal remarked.

The veterinarians’ on-field findings showed that several cattle suffered burn injuries, while most had developed minor syndromes, including those related to breathing, he added.

Mount Semeru, located in two districts — Malang and Lumajang — in East Java province, erupted on December 4, 2021, at around 3 p.m. local time, spewing incandescent lava accompanied by rumbling sounds and thick gray smoke.

Source: Antara News

Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno has urged Indonesian gamers to support local games so that they can emerge on top in their own country.

Games from abroad are still dominating the Indonesian gaming market, especially those from Europe and the United States, he noted.

“The gaming market in Indonesia is estimated to be worth US$1.1 billion. However, about 91 percent of the games are dominated by games from Europe and the United States,” he said at a virtual event on ‘Digital Transactions for the Awakening of Indonesia’s eSports Potential’ on Thursday.

Local developers have developed many games. For example, around 124 games developed by game developers from Indonesia are available on the PC platform, he informed.

“Thus, let’s make Indonesia dominate game production in the national market,” he said.

According to the minister, Indonesia’s gaming market has considerable potential.

He revealed that there are around 43.7 million gamers in the country, making the gaming industry, as a sub-sector of the creative economy industry, a growing sector amid the pandemic.

It has been recorded that the Indonesian gaming market contributed 4.47 percent to revenue growth, he said.

However, the development of local games cannot optimally attract the national market since their marketing capital is still far below that of gaming developers from abroad, he added.

For that reason, he urged local gamers to start playing games developed locally in a bid to support Indonesia’s gaming industry.

He affirmed that his ministry has prepared several programs to help local games top the country’s gaming market.

“The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy is committed to developing this creative industry sub-sector through games. We have prepared various programs to build and help the gaming industry in Indonesia to succeed,” the minister remarked.

Source: Antara News

The staycation trend has shown that the tourism sector, particularly the hospitality industry, has revived, according to an official from the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry.

“This (evidence) reflects that the tourism industry has revived amid the pandemic and the trend can also help boost the economy and the public can judge it. Let us travel again to the nearest spot,” the ministry’s Marketing Deputy, Nia Niscaya, said during a virtual event here on Thursday.

Currently, the vacation trend has changed, with people preferring a comfortable vacation spot that implements the health protocols strictly, and staycation is considered to meet this requirement, she noted.

In addition, staycation helps avoid crowds, use of public transportation with a large number of passengers, and mobilizes people outside their regions, she pointed out.

“In terms of distance, spots for staycation are commonly nearby. The most important thing is they can gain a different experience since I think the essence of traveling is to gain experience,” she said.

Niscaya lauded hotels for being creative in offering various activities to guests during their staycation.

Meanwhile, Jakarta Hotel Public Relation Association chairman Marlene Danusutedjo said that many hotels have obtained the certificate of health protocols based on cleanliness, health, security, and sustainability (CHSE) so that staycation activities can be made more secure and comfortable.

“We make sure to the guests that the staycation can be done securely and in keeping with the health protocols,” she said.

Staycation is the right choice for people who want to have a holiday amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Danusutedjo.

“Staycation is the right choice, the sport is generally not far but people can get the refreshing situation,” she added.

On the other hand, Andre Binarto, an influencer, suggested that people who are keen on going on a staycation choose hotels that have a CHSE certificate for a more secure and fun holiday experience.

Source: Antara News