Health Minister: Gov’t–People Cooperation is Vital to Flatten COVID-19 Curve

Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin (Photo by: Documentation of Cabinet Secretariat, Public Relations Division)

Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin urged the public to join hands with the Government to flatten the curve of COVID-19 transmissions.

“We have to reduce the rate of virus transmission so that our health facilities are not too heavily burdened, so we have more time to respond to the virus,” the Minister said in a press statement after attending a meeting chaired by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, in Jakarta, Tuesday (26/01).

Budi stated that to flatten the curve, two things that must be done are the strict implementation of 3M health protocols (wearing masks, washing hands, maintaining distance) and hard efforts in testing, tracing, and isolation.

Therefore, not only the Government but all components of society, Budi said, should cooperate in implementing strict health protocols.

Meanwhile, he also stated that the Ministry is responsible for ensuring that the testing, tracing, and isolation efforts can be carried out well.

“I believe that all Indonesian people have an enormous social capital to be able to do this together and if all Indonesian people are united, I am sure that whatever the problem is, we can solve it together,” he said.

The President, the Minister further said, has called a number of ministers to discuss stronger efforts in dealing with the pandemic, which currently, the accumulation of confirmed cases reached one million people.

“This one million figure gives an indication that all Indonesian people must work together with the Government to tackle this pandemic even harder. We will continue our hard work,” the Minister said. (TGH/UN) (FI/LW)