President Jokowi Tells Ministers to Maintain Declining Trend in COVID-19 Active Cases

Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto and Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan in a press conference on the latest PPKM developments, Monday (13/09) (Source: Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment YouTube)

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo Monday (13/09) ordered his administration to maintain the improvement for COVID-19 handling.

For the record, there are currently less than 100,000 active cases in the country.

“According to the President’s directive in the (limited) meeting, we should maintain the momentum for the decline in (active) cases, which was already less than 100,000. We are asking the public to continue to be vigilant and not to be engaged in massive euphoria in responding to the decline in active cases,” Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said virtually in his press statement on the latest PPKM (community activity restrictions) developments, Monday (13/09).

Airlangga also underscored that the pandemic is difficult to predict and the new COVID-19 variants remain concerns.

For this reason, the Government, he added, also continues to improve coordination between ministries and agencies to prevent the new variants to enter the country through air, sea, and air routes.

“Inter-ministerial coordination is essential. The President ordered that the border posts continue to be guarded,” Airlangga said.

In addition, the Government, he added, also continues to encourage the acceleration of vaccination drives across the country.

The President ordered that around 41 million doses of vaccines supply throughout Indonesia be administered immediately for the first dose of vaccination, he said.

“Then, the distribution (of vaccines) in the future (should focus) on regencies/cities whose vaccination rates are below 20 percent,” he said.

Airlangga reiterated that the Government will continue to implement PPKM as an instrument to control the COVID-19 pandemic. The PPKM level in each region will be adjusted weekly according to the assessment results. (FID/UN) (FI/EP)