Category: Self Care

Jakarta (ANTARA) – At least 493 people died and 68 others went missing in 1,423 natural disaster events in different parts of Indonesia between January 1 and June 15, 2021, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).

The catastrophes affected 5,206,534 people, many of whom were forced to seek refuge elsewhere, as per BNPB data accessed by ANTARA here on Wednesday.

Floods, whirlwinds, landslides, and bush and forest fires were the most common disaster events reported in the country. As many as 135,187 homes and 2,920 public facilities were damaged in their aftermath.

According to the BNPB, Indonesia recorded 592 floods, 394 whirlwinds, and 288 landslides in the first half of this year.

In addition, the archipelago experienced 108 bush and forest fires, 20 events involving abrasion and high waves, 19 disastrous earthquakes, and two droughts.

The disaster events, which left 12,853 people injured, also damaged 1,367 educational facilities, 1,207 houses of worship, 346 health facilities, 492 office buildings, and 282 bridges.

Highlighting Indonesia’s vulnerability to a variety of natural hazards, BNPB spokesperson Raditya Jati has appealed to the people to remain alert.

This year, one of the deadliest catastrophes that Indonesia experienced was the 6.2-magnitude earthquake that rattled the districts of Mamuju and Majene in West Sulawesi province on January 15.

The quake claimed more than 100 lives and acutely affected several residents in sub-districts such as Mamuju, Tapalang, Tapalang Barat, Simboro Kepulauan, Kalukku, and Bonehau.

The earthquake damaged 9,179 houses in Mamuju district alone, the BNPB reported.

Sulawesi Island has repeatedly witnessed deadly earthquakes. On September 28, 2018, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake hit several parts of Central Sulawesi province, triggering a tsunami and soil liquefaction in Palu, the provincial capital.

The earthquake claimed 2,102 lives, left 4,612 persons injured, displaced 78,994 people, and rendered 680 others missing.

A total of 68,451 homes incurred serious damage in the quake.

Given the large number of rotting corpses, the authorities and humanitarian workers were forced to resort to mass burials.

Indonesia recorded its deadliest earthquake, which claimed 170 thousand lives, on December 26, 2004.

The undersea megathrust quake rattled Banda Aceh and several other parts of Aceh province, triggering a giant tsunami, which laid to waste several parts of the city located on the northernmost tip of Sumatra Island. (INE)

Source: Antara News

Cianjur, W Java (ANTARA) – Thirty-five healthcare workers in West Java’s Cianjur district were exposed to COVID-19 in the past two weeks, the highest number since the district recorded its first infections, the local coronavirus task force said.

“During the pandemic, 150 healthcare workers working for two public health service posts have been exposed to COVID-19 and 115 of them have recovered and are carrying out their duties as usual, while the rest are conducting self-isolation at their respective homes,” spokesperson for the task force, Dr. Yusman Faisal, said in Cianjur on Tuesday.

The number of healthcare workers contracting COVID-19 in the past two weeks has been the highest since the start of the pandemic in the district, he added.

West Java is among the six provinces which have witnessed a post Eid al-Fitr spike in coronavirus infections this week besides Jakarta, Banten, Central Java, Yogyakarta, and East Java, according to the national COVID-19 task force.

“The top five highest increases in COVID-19 cases have been found in the provinces of Jakarta, Central Java, West Java, Yogyakarta, and East Java,” task force spokesperson Wiku Adisasmito informed at an online press conference that ANTARA joined from Jakarta on Tuesday.

The sixth biggest contributor to the latest COVID-19 surge has been Banten province, he added.

The six provinces have recorded between four hundred and seven thousand cases this week, he disclosed.

The post Eid al-Fitr COVID-19 surge has been observed in Central Java, East Java, Yogyakarta, and Banten as they received homebound travelers during this year’s Eid holiday season, he said.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – A European Union (EU) delegation paid a virtual visit to Indonesia’s South Sumatra province on Tuesday to explore trade and investment as part of a series of activities organized to bolster an economic partnership agreement.

“The meeting today is very appropriate as in the next few weeks in July, Indonesia and the European Union will hold the next round of negotiations on CEPA (Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement). Therefore, inputs from the meeting today are expected to have an impact on the negotiation,” EU Ambassador to Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam, Vincent Piket, said at the EU – Indonesia CEPA Roadshow – South Sumatra, held virtually from Jakarta on Tuesday.

As it works to improve cooperation with Indonesia within the framework of CEPA, the EU delegation believes South Sumatra has huge potential, particularly in the fields of agriculture and other natural resources, he added.

The potential needs to be explored further to promote the welfare of the local people and boost the Indonesian and EU economies, Piket said.

The EU is currently the fourth largest market for Indonesian exports and the third largest supplier of imported goods to the country.

However, Indonesia is still lagging behind other ASEAN member states, including Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam, in terms of trade with EU.

Indonesia and the EU signed CEPA in 2016 to increase trade and investment.

An EU study has shown that the agreement could help Indonesia increase its trade with EU and its annual gross domestic product (GDP) by 5 billion euros by 2032.

On the other hand, the EU will be able to increase trade with Indonesia by up to 18 percent.

“This (potential 18-percent increase in trade) is (an) extraordinarily large amount,” Piket stated.

Both sides still have to work hard to achieve that end, he said. The virtual visit to South Sumatra is part of a series of activities to achieve the goal, he added.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The national COVID-19 task force has recorded a post Eid al-Fitr spike in coronavirus infections in Jakarta, Banten, West Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta, and East Java provinces this week.

“The top five highest increases in COVID-19 cases have been found in the provinces of Jakarta, Central Java, West Java, Yogyakarta, and East Java,” task force spokesperson Wiku Adisasmito informed at an online press conference that ANTARA joined from Jakarta on Tuesday.

The sixth biggest contributor to the latest COVID-19 surge has been Banten province, he added.

The six provinces, which are all located on Java Island, have recorded between four hundred and seven thousand cases this week, he disclosed.

The post Eid al-Fitr COVID-19 surge has been observed in Central Java, East Java, Yogyakarta, and Banten as they received homebound travelers during this year’s Eid holiday season, he said.

Jakarta, too, is facing an increase in cases due to homeward-bound travelers, he added.

The government and communities must pay serious attention to this worrisome situation, he said and urged regional governments to implement control strategies.

“Our focus is how to control the case surge in the hardest-hit regions, and to (ensure people) comply with health protocols and mobility restrictions for domestic and overseas trips,” Adisasmito said.

Over the past few days, the Jakarta provincial government has recorded a significant increase in COVID-19 cases.

Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan has attributed the recent spike in coronavirus infections in the capital city to the Eid al-Fitr holidays.

There has been a 50-percent increase in infections, with the number of COVID-19 cases rising to 17,400 on June 11, 2021 from 11,500 on June 6, 2021, he noted.

The COVID-19 positivity rate also increased to 17 percent on Sunday from 9 percent the previous week.

The number of specimens tested at laboratories also rose eight-fold, as against the WHO-prescribed four-fold increase, he noted.

As a precautionary measure, the Jakarta provincial government has prepared 2,500 beds at the Nagrak low-cost apartments in Cilincing neighborhood of North Jakarta for COVID-19 patients.

The Nagrak apartments will only be used if the Wisma Atlet Kemayoran emergency hospital continues to receive new COVID-19 patients, Baswedan said on Monday.

Currently, the Jakarta provincial administration is prioritizing the Wisma Atlet emergency hospital for receiving COVID-19 patients, said Baswedan.

He also urged Jakartans to not undermine the recent increase in COVID-19 cases. (INE)

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – President Joko Widodo has asked the Jakarta administration to speed up COVID-19 vaccinations amid a surge in cases, chief of the Jakarta Provincial Legislative Assembly (DPRD), Prasetyo Edi Marsudi, said.

The vaccination program in ports and densely populated areas must be expedited, Marsudi told the press at the Presidential Palace here on Tuesday.

President Widodo on Tuesday summoned the Jakarta Regional Leadership Communication Forum (Forkopimda) and issued directives on ways to deal with a recent spike in COVID-19 cases.

Besides DPRD chief Marsudi, the forum comprised Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan, Commander of the Jakarta Regional Military Command, Major General Mulyo Aji, chief of the Jakarta Metropolitan Police, Inspector General Fadil Imran, and mayors and resort police chiefs from across Jakarta.

The President noted that COVID-19 cases in Jakarta have increased sharply, with one of the causes being the entry of a new variant from India.

“The President has asked us as the regional apparatuses to curb (COVID-19 transmission),” Marsudi said. The President has also asked Forkopimda members to make field visits to aid greater public compliance with health protocols, he added.

Governor Baswedan had earlier attributed the spike in coronavirus infections in the capital to the Eid al-Fitr holidays.

Jakarta should accord greater attention to the sharp jump in COVID-19 cases in the past week, he said during a roll call held on Sunday night to remind agencies of their obligation to stem the spread of COVID-19.

There has been a 50-percent increase in infections in the capital city, with the number of cases climbing to 17,400 on June 11, 2021 from 11,500 on June 6, 2021, he observed.

The COVID-19 positivity rate also increased to 17 percent on Sunday from 9 percent a week earlier.

“The number of new cases increased in each of the past four days by 2,000, 2,300, 2,400, and 2,700 today,” Baswedan noted.

The number of specimens tested at laboratories also increased eight-fold as against a four-fold increase prescribed by the WHO.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Wisma Atlet Kemayoran emergency hospital received 425 new COVID-19 patients over the course of the past 24 hours, as Jakarta reels from a post Eid al-Fitr COVID-19 case surge.

Thus, as of Tuesday, a total of 5,453 mildly symptomatic patients were hospitalized at this COVID-19 emergency hospital.

“On Monday, the total number of patients currently hospitalized still stood at 5,028,” Joint Defense Area Command I (Kogabwilhan I) spokesman Colonel Aris Mudian noted.

The patients occupy the hospital beds at Towers 4, 5, 6, and 7, Mudian remarked, adding that 2,484 beds were still vacant as of Tuesday.

Since becoming officially operational on March 23, 2020, this emergency hospital has cumulatively received 92,278 patients.

Of the total tally, 85,815 patients made a complete recovery, 918 patients were sent to several referral hospitals, while 92 others succumbed to the disease, he remarked.

Meanwhile, the Wisma Atlet Pademangan emergency hospital is still offering treatment to 3,326 patients accommodated at Towers 8, 9, and 10, the spokesman noted.

Over these past few days, the Jakarta provincial government had recorded a significant spike in COVID-19 cases.

Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan had earlier attributed the recent spike in coronavirus infections in the capital city to the Eid al-Fitr holidays.

Baswedan noted that the number of COVID-19 cases had soared to 17,400 on June 11, 2021, from 11,500 on June 6, 2021, thereby indicative of a 50-percent increase in infections.

The COVID-19 positivity rate also climbed to 17 percent on Sunday, from nine percent a week earlier.

The number of specimens tested at laboratories also rose eight folds, as against the WHO-prescribed four-fold increase, he noted.

As a precautionary measure against deteriorating conditions, the Jakarta provincial government has readied 2,500 beds at the Nagrak low-cost apartments in the Cilincing neighborhood of North Jakarta for COVID-19 patients.

The Nagrak apartments will only be used in the event of a steady inflow of new COVID-19 patients at the Wisma Atlet Kemayoran emergency hospital, Baswedan had remarked early this week.

Currently, the Jakarta provincial administration is prioritizing the Wisma Atlet emergency hospital for receiving COVID-19 patients, though Baswedan has called on Jakartans to desist from undermining the recent increase in COVID-19 cases.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – As many as 31 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines were administered countrywide until now, and the vaccination drive was yet underway and being expedited, Coordinating Economic Affairs Minister Airlangga Hartarto stated.

“What we have to do is to accelerate the vaccination drive, as we have already administered 31 million doses,” Hartarto remarked while speaking at a webinar here on Tuesday.

The minister highlighted President Joko Widodo’s envisioned target for one million shots to be administered daily in Indonesia from July 2021.

“We are optimistic that in July, the number (vaccine jabs administered per day) would reach one million, as nothing else can handle COVID-19 except for accelerating vaccination,” he remarked.

Some 600 jabs are expected to be offered by regional health offices and the health ministry, while the remaining 400 jabs will be administered by trained personnel of the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) and the Indonesian Police (Polri). Currently, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Indonesia rose by six percent, still better than the global hike of 6.9 percent, according to the minister.

Meanwhile, Hartarto noted that Indonesia’s recovery rate was also at 91.2 percent while the global level reached 91 percent.

However, the government will continue to closely monitor developments in COVID-19 cases following findings of aggressive delta variants in Bangkalan and Kudus.

The government has also decided to extend the implementation of micro-scale community activity restrictions (PPKM) until June 28, 2021, especially in red zones across 34 Indonesian provinces.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has transferred the management of self-isolation facilities for COVID-19 patients operated out of hotels, inns, and guesthouses to local governments to ensure they are run effectively and efficiently.

Self-isolation facilities managed by the central government or the BNPB will now be controlled by local governments, head of health handling at the COVID-19 Task Force, Alexander K Ginting, said.

“Management at the local government (level) will be more efficient and effective because it can directly touch the root of the problem of isolating residents who are positive for COVID-19,” Ginting told ANTARA in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Though they will now be managed by local governments, the central government will continue to bear the cost of operating the self-isolation facilities in hotels, inns, and guesthouses, he added.

The transfer of control of the management of the self-isolation facilities to local governments would be carried out in stages, he informed.

According to Ginting, the process of transferring control of self-isolation facilities to the local government in DKI Jakarta began on Tuesday.

The DKI Jakarta provincial government has prepared 29 isolation centers for residents affected by COVID-19 and six facilities for health workers from referral hospitals handling coronavirus infections.

In East Java’s Bangkalan, the local government has prepared six hospitals to handle COVID-19 patients, Ginting said.

The regional governments in Kudus (Central Java) and Medan (North Sumatra) have also prepared health and quarantine facilities to tackle the spread of COVID-19 in their respective regions, he added.

According to him, local governments have demonstrated their capability in handling COVID-19 patients.

“If there is a need for central support, there will be coordination,” he added.

However, in managing self-isolation facilities, local governments must still refer to the provisions set by the central government, he said. (INE)

Source: Antara News