Category: Self Care

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment has assured investors of the Indonesian government’s commitment to control forest and land fires.

“We have proved that the area (under forest and land fires) declined significantly to the lowest level in 2020. This shows the government’s serious commitment. We have told investors that Indonesia has managed to overcome (forest and land fires),” the ministry’s assistant deputy for climate change and disaster mitigation, Kus Prisetiahadi, said here on Tuesday.

Fires laid to waste 296,942 hectares of forests and land in Indonesia in 2020 compared to 1,592,010 hectares the previous year, he pointed out.

The government has claimed that the area under forest and land fires fell by up to 82 percent last year from a year ago.

Forest and land fires in 2015 affected an area of 2.61 million hectares, Prisetiahadi said.

Despite the drastic drop, the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment will continue to coordinate with the Environment and Forestry Ministry to prevent forest and land fires in vulnerable areas, he assured.

The Environment and Forestry Ministry is one of the seven ministries under the purview of the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment. Quoting data from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency (BMKG), Kus said medium-to-large scale forest and land fires could potentially occur in the central part of Sumatra Island and parts of West Nusa Tenggara and East Nusa Tenggara provinces in August 2021.

The current dry season is expected to reach its peak in areas prone to forest and land fires in the southern part of Sumatra and part of Kalimantan in August and September, he added.

 

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesia received 500 thousand doses of the Sinopharm vaccine at Soekarno-Hatta Airport, Cengkareng, Banten on Tuesday afternoon, bringing the total Sinopharm doses the country has secured so far to 8 million.

The Sinopharm vaccines have been secured for the Gotong Royong (mutual help) vaccination program, which has resulted from a collaboration between state-owned pharmaceutical enterprises and the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin).

“Indonesia again received 500 thousand doses of the Sinopharm vaccine,” Deputy Minister of State-owned Enterprises (SOEs), Pahala Mansury, informed at an online press conference on Tuesday.

“In accordance with the direction of the President, we needed to accelerate the arrival of these vaccines so the citizens can get vaccinated as soon as possible,” he added.

Mansury asked business entities or legal entities wishing to vaccinate employees and their families or the surrounding community under the independent vaccination program to contact the SOEs Ministry or the Kadin. He emphasized that the Gotong Royong program is a joint effort that is meant to support the national vaccination target of 2 million doses per day.

“We hope that people will not hesitate to get vaccinated, either through the Gotong Royong vaccination program or the government’s vaccination program,” the Deputy Minister said.

Meanwhile, vice chairwoman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), Shinta Kamdani, said the strong cooperation between Kimia Farma and the Kadin is expected to accelerate the implementation of Gotong Royong vaccinations for workers, workers’ families, and surrounding communities throughout Indonesia.

She said that though she was initially doubtful about the supply of vaccines, the existing vaccine supply is sufficient to be allocated to companies interested in joining the Gotong Royong vaccination program.

“We are grateful that now the need for vaccines can be met, and for that, we will continue to help accelerate vaccinations to achieve the targets set by the government,” she remarked.

Shinta also said that entrepreneurs fully support the government’s steps and policies in handling COVID-19, including the public activity restrictions (PPKM), which is currently underway.

 

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Three regions outside Java and Bali have witnessed an increasing trend in positive cases in the past three weeks, head of the expert team of the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, Prof. Wiku Adisasmito, has said.

“These provinces are dominated by the islands of Sumatra, Kalimantan, and Sulawesi,” he informed while delivering a report on the progress of handling COVID-19 on Tuesday. His presentation was streamed via BNPB’s YouTube channel.

According to Adisasmito, almost all provinces in Sumatra have registered an increase in COVID-19 cases over the past three weeks, except Riau Islands, which has shown a decline in cases.

Meanwhile, in Kalimantan, all provinces have recorded an increase in COVID-19 cases, except West Kalimantan, which has experienced a decline in infections, he informed.

“In addition, on the island of Sulawesi, all provinces have also shown an increase for three weeks, except for Southeast Sulawesi and Gorontalo, which have experienced a decline,” he added. Yogyakarta is the only area on the island of Java that has continued to see an increase in positive cases, Adisasmito said.

The increase in COVID-19 cases in most of these areas needs to be cause for a concern, he added.

“This increase can also occur because the local government and the community are careless and think the area is fine as they do not implement level 4 public activity restrictions (PPKM),” he explained.

Adisasmito then appealed to all local governments and communities from the provinces to immediately prepare for a rise in COVID-19 cases.

“With an increase in COVID-19 cases for approximately the last three weeks, it is necessary to anticipate and prepare all health service facilities in their respective regions,” he said. President Joko Widodo had on Monday announced that level 4 Community Activity Restrictions (PPKM) had been further extended until August 9, 2021 considering the COVID-19 situation in the country.

“Considering several COVID-19 cases indicators this week, the enforcement of PPKM level 4 will be extended in certain cities and districts. Community activity and mobility restrictions will be readjusted according to the situation of each area,” he said in a statement broadcast on the Presidential Secretariat Youtube channel.

“PPKM level 4 implemented from July 26 to August 2, 2021 has suppressed the daily confirmed cases, active case rate, and bed occupancy ratio, while also improving the cure rate,” he added.

“However, we cannot implement the same policy over a long duration. We always have to reconsider our policy according to the latest data in order to decide the right choice for both the health and economy sectors,” he emphasized.

The head of state also expressed his gratitude to the Indonesian people for their understanding and support for the enforcement of PPKM.

“I really appreciate the participation and support of the volunteers and philanthropists who have helped the government in enforcing health protocols, facilitating self-isolation, and conducting other social programs,” he said.

 

Source: Antara News

Manokwari (ANTARA) –
West Papua Vice Governor Muhammad Lakotani welcomed the arrival of hundreds of new oxygen tanks and items of personal protective equipment (PPE) donated by the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) in Rendani Airport Manokwari, Tuesday.

The oxygen tanks and PPE supplies were flown from Halim Perdanakusuma Airport Jakarta on an Indonesian Air Force aircraft, with a stopover in Makassar, South Sulawesi.

“Today, the province officially accept the oxygen tanks and PPE donations from the BNPB, handed over by the Kasuari XVIII Regional Military Chief to the West Papua provincial authority,” Vice Governor Lakotani said.

The BNPB donations fulfilled most demands for oxygen and PPE supplies from local hospitals to treat COVID-19 patients at West Papuan hospitals, he said. “The new supplies would also be distributed to West Papua cities and districts, proportional with their needs,” he added.

Abdul Muhari, Acting Head of Disaster Data, Information, and Communications Centre of the BNPB, in a press statement on Tuesday, stated that the oxygen tanks and PPE supplies for West Papua are to assist the management of the COVID-19 pandemic in the province.

He added that the total 150,000 masks consist of 30,000 medical masks, 15,000 KF-94 masks, 50,000 medical child masks, 5,000 INA fabric masks, and 55,000 fabric masks for children. “Besides new mask supplies, the BNPB is also assisting the province by sending 50 oxygen tanks, 50 oxygen concentrators, 1,000 medical gloves, 1,000 medical T-Well, and 10,000 antigen rapid tests,” Muhari stated.

Based on the West Papua Province COVID-19 Handling Task Force data, the total number of COVID-19 cases is 18,900 positive cases, as of Monday, August 2, which increased by 118 people from the previous day. The positivity rate in the province is 27.6 per cent from all tested populations of 68,408 people.

The recovery rate in the province is 84.4 per cent, with current recovered cases at 16,035 people, an increase of 517 people from the previous day. COVID-19 death cases in the province has reached 290 patients.

 

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The West Jakarta city government is collaborating with mosques and churches to use their premises to conduct mass vaccinations and help accelerate the national immunization program.

Currently, 11 places of worship in the city are being used as locations for mass COVID-19 vaccinations, West Jakarta Mayor, Uus Kuswanto, informed.

“Mosques and churches are being used as vaccination sites,” he confirmed here on Tuesday.

The 11 places of worship include four churches — Santa Maria Immakulata Church Kalideres, Santo Thomas Rasul Church of Bojong Indah, Maria Kusuma Karmel Church Meruya, and Santo Andreas Church Kedoya, he said.

The remaining seven are mosques — Al Mubarokah Masjid Tambora, Al Falah Masjid Pal Merah, Baitus Salam Masjid Taman Sari, Tama Cahaya Masjid Kebon Jeruk, Al Mukhlisin Great Masjid Grogol Petamburan, Al Istiqomah Masjid, and Al Hasni Masjid in Cengkareng, he added.

Some of these places of worship have started operating as vaccination sites, while the rest will start from August, Kuswanto informed.

The West Jakarta city government is collaborating with religious leaders in the mass vaccination program as they can help encourage the public to get vaccinated, he explained.

“Considering that religious leaders have quite an extraordinary number of followers, it is expected that they can invite their supporters to partake in the vaccination (program),” he said.

The Religious Affairs Ministry (Kemenag) has said it is seeking to use Islamic boarding schools (ponpes), places of worship, and other religious educational institutions as vaccination centers as part of efforts to realize herd immunity quickly.

“The government is accelerating the vaccination rate. The Religious Affairs Ministry is trying to be proactive and expects that places of worship, Islamic boarding schools, and other religious education institutions can be optimized in this acceleration (effort),” Zainut Tauhid Sa’adi from the ministry said in a written statement received in Jakarta some time ago.

Islamic boarding schools and places of worship can play an important role in the effort to accelerate the vaccination rate, he said. If vaccinations are carried out in Islamic boarding schools all across Indonesia, students from the age of 12 and up as well as local residents can be targeted, he said.

Religious instructors, who were previously educating the public about the benefits of vaccines, have been asked to cooperate with the ulamas and public figures up to the level of the taklim assembly (majelis taklim), he added.

“I think Islamic boarding schools (can play a very strategic role) in accelerating the vaccination rate among children. Thousands and, maybe, even millions of students, aged over 12 years (can be vaccinated at the schools),” Sa’adi remarked.

 

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The COVID-19 pandemic that is currently plaguing Indonesia has highlighted the nation’s fundamental problems in sectors such as health and education, Regional Representative Council (DPD) chief A. A. La Nyalla Mahmud Mattalitti has said.

“The biggest lesson to take away from COVID-19 is that it has highlighted fundamental issues that we have not yet seriously thought out across numerous sectors that have all been closed all this time,” he said in a written statement received here on Tuesday.

The first fundamental issue is how vulnerable and fragile Indonesia’s health sector is, he pointed out.

Everyone has seen how Indonesia’s health facilities almost collapsed due to the spike in COVID-19 cases, he said.

The second fundamental issue concerns the resiliency of the social sector, La Nyala noted, saying the government is facing difficulty in promptly distributing social aid to citizens impacted by COVID-19.

The next problem concerns the resiliency of Indonesia’s education sector, he said. Supporting infrastructure for learning activities, which have been shifted online, has been found wanting, he explained.

“The quality of the learning activity reflects how unprepared Indonesia is and how unable they are to adhere to a standard,” the DPD chief remarked.

In addition, the economic rescue of citizens has remained a basic problem for the nation, he observed. For instance, the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the nation have not been able to transform quickly in response to the pandemic challenge, he noted.

“This is a major task for us citizens who will celebrate the 76th anniversary of our independence on August 17 later,” Mattalitti remarked.

However, he said he disagrees that the government has been ineffective in efforts to handle the pandemic due to ever-changing policies.

“For me, the government has remained dedicated in its effort and its work to handle the pandemic to this day. It is not easy to handle the pandemic in an archipelago state as big as Indonesia,” the DPD chief remarked.

 

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Ministry of Health has yet to hold discussions on the agenda pertaining to the use of COVID-19 vaccine cards as an administrative requirement for people to access public places.

“The Ministry of Health has not yet held any discussions regarding this plan,” Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 Vaccination spokesperson, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, remarked during a telephonic confirmation in Jakarta, Tuesday.

Nadia clarified that the vaccine card, as an access tool, was only a policy by some market managers in Jakarta that have started to make it mandatory for people to have the card to enter public places.

The policy applies in the Tanah Abang Market, Central Jakarta, and several shopping centers in the local areas.

She emphasized that the policy only applied in Jakarta as part of the regional autonomy. “It is a local policy from the regional government,” she affirmed.

When contacted on a separate occasion by ANTARA, Head of Health Handling of the COVID-19 Task Force Alexander K. Ginting made assurance that the vaccine card policy in Jakarta had not been valid nationally.

However, when queried if the government had a similar plan in future, Ginting called for further accessing the decision.

“It is still a process,” he noted.

The vaccine card, as an administrative requirement, to access several markets in Jakarta is a policy from the regional public company’s city-owned (Pasar Jaya) market operator that necessitates all traders, store employees, and visitors to show the COVID-19 vaccination card if they were looking to enter the market area.

The policy is being applied to lower the potential of COVID-19 transmission among merchants and visitors that interact in traditional and modern markets.

President Director of the Pasar Jaya regional public company, Arief Nasrudin, noted in a written statement, Wednesday, July 28, that the policy was taken into account since the percentage of vaccine recipients in Jakarta was quite high.

“This is based on the fact that the vaccinations have been extensively conducted in Jakarta’s areas,” he stated.

Furthermore, Tanah Abang market’s manager, Heri Supriyatna, told ANTARA in Jakarta, Monday, July 26, that all traders and visitors to the A, B, F, and G blocks of the Tanah Abang market are required to carry vaccine cards.

In keeping with the level 4 public activity restrictions (PPKM), the Tanah Abang market will operate at 50-percent capacity from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Western Indonesia Time, according to Supriyatna.

 

Source: Antara News

Labuan Bajo (ANTARA) – The Labuan Bajo Naval Base on Tuesday organized a vaccination program for locals at its Command Headquarters in West Manggarai district, East Nusa Tenggara province.

“Currently, we are prioritizing the vaccination for the maritime community,” Labuan Bajo Navy Base Commander, Marine Major (KH) Budi Purwoto, said here on Tuesday.

The day-long vaccination drive, organized in collaboration with the West Manggarai Health Office, started at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, he added.

One thousand doses of the Sinovac vaccine were prepared for the vaccination program, Purwoto informed.

“This vaccination has been carried out to reduce COVID-19 transmission in West Manggarai because this district has premium tourism objects of national level, which will become international level in the future,” he said.

After vaccinations for the maritime community, the Navy will expand vaccination services to the general public in West Manggarai, he added.

According to head of disease prevention and control at the West Manggarai Health Office, Paskalina Kusumawati, those who took part in the drive at the Labuan Bajo Naval Command Headquarters had received a prior invitation from the organizers.

At the vaccination center, officers verified participants’ data and conducted screening tests before administering the jab, she said. The COVID-19 vaccine was provided only to eligible participants, she added.

“After receiving the vaccine, officers observed the vaccination participants before they went home. In essence, those who received the vaccine were those who had passed the screening,” Kusumawati said.

 

Source: Antara News