Maximum Effort Needed to Reduce COVID-19 Cases, President Jokowi Says
Chairperson of the COVID-19 National Task Force Doni Monardo delivers statement in a press conference after attending a Limited Cabinet Meeting at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, Monday (13/7). Photo by: Agung/PR
The maximum effort is needed to reduce COVID-19 cases and death rate, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has said.
Chairperson of the COVID-19 National Task Force Doni Monardo quoted the President in his remarks after attending a Limited Cabinet Meeting at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, Monday (13/7).
The measures to reduce the cases, Doni added, include effective campaign and dissemination involving experts such as anthropologists, sociologists, and psychologists, as well as community leaders, especially Ulema.
Doni went on to say that people who are older than 60-70 years or who have comorbidities such as hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, cancer, asthma, tuberculosis, and several other diseases are high risk groups.
The people with comorbidities, according to the Task Force Chairperson, must stay at home and, if outdoor activities are inevitable, they must keep a safe distance, avoid crowds, and avoid places with higher risk of transmission.
“To reduce death rate, we must increase collective awareness so that the people truly understand messages about the danger of COVID-19,” Doni said.
The President, he added, highlighted 8 provinces, namely East Java, DKI Jakarta, Central Java, West Java, South Sulawesi, South Kalimantan, North Sumatra, and Papua.
Doni also praised Papua for using local wisdom in maintaining self-discipline in the region. The COVID-19 cases in Papua have decreased and recovery rates have also increased.
Another directive from the President is related to boarding schools due to a very large number of positive cases in Indonesian National Defense Forces (TNI) School in Cimahi several days ago. Doni also said that all boarding schools, including Islamic boarding schools, must be aware of the possibility of COVID-19 spread.
Doni stated that measures for testing, tracing, and treatment should be prioritized not only for people under surveillance (ODP) and patients under treatment (PDP), but also for asymptomatic carriers.
He further said that the Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test must be a top priority, due to its level of accuracy.
“However, if the PCR test is limited, the rapid test is a temporary solution,” the Task Force Chairperson said. (TGH/EN)
Translated by: Ridwan Ibadurrohman
Reviewed by: Mia Medyana
