Gov’t Continues to Strictly Monitor COVID-19 Situation to Regions Despite Under Control
Coordinating Minister for Maritime and Investment Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan (Photo: PR Office of Cabinet Secretariat/Rahmat)
The Government remains vigilant and careful, and continues to strictly monitor COVID-19 situation to the regional level although to date the pandemic in Indonesia is still under control at the bottom level, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said.
“The Government remains extra careful and vigilant because we still don’t know much about this virus. Monitoring COVID-19 is conducted strictly to the level of regencies/cities,” Luhut said in a press conference on Development of COVID-19 Handling and Evaluation on Implementation of the Public Activity Retsrictions (PPKM), on Monday (12/27) virtually.
The Coordinating Minister said that the public activity restrictions will be imposed once certain threshold is exceeding, by taking into account not only daily cases but also hospital occupancy and death rate.
“Ministry of Health and COVID-19 Handling Task Force conduct strict monitoring of the data on a daily basis. We work based on the data,” he added.
Moreover, the Government will continue to carry out testing and tracing that are slowing down in the past few days.
“Maybe in some places, the case rate is zero, so they do not feel the urgency for testing. Nonetheless, we still call on people to conduct testing because many people without COVID-19 symptons are tested postive when Omicron variant is spreading,” Luhut explained.
Testing and tracing, Luhut continued, will help to identify the potential of COVID-19 and prevent the quick spread, and to further isolate the spread.
“Through strict testing and tracing, measures of lockdown at the micro level, as implemented at the Kemayoran Athlete Village, can be implemented if local transmission of detected Omicron variant occur,” he said.
Related to vaccination rate, Luhut who also serves as the coordinator of PPKM in the islands of Java and Bali mentioned that public vaccination and vaccination for senior citizens in the islands of Java and Bali continue to increase.
First dose vaccination rate in the islands of Java and Bali has reached more than 80 percent, while second dose vaccination has reached more than 60 percent. However, some regencies/cities are still bellow 50 percent rate for the first dose vaccination.
“The Government continues to encourage the role of the regional governments to maximize vaccination in their regions,” Luhut said.
In relation to the mitigation of a potential surge in COVID-19 cases, the Government also calls on all regions to prepare hospital and isolation facilities as early as possible.
“Additionally, health protocol implementation and the use of PeduliLindungi application during Christmas and New Year holidays should be improved,” he remarked.
Concluding his press statement, the Coordinating Minister once again calls on all elements to maintain discipline in implementing health protocol and to use PeduliLindungi, so COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia remains at the low level, and the people’s economy can recover.
“Through our cooperation, we still manage to control COVID-19 at the low level until today. As a result, the people can have more activities towards the end of 2021 and the economy can recover promptly,” he emphasized. (TGH/AIT/UN) (AW/MUR)
