Year-ender: COVID-19 under control, Indonesia gears up for relaxation by Fardah

Jakarta, Dec 26, 2022 (Antara) - Indonesia has relatively managed to control COVID-19 infections during 2022, despite early this year, facing the third wave triggered by the Omicron variant that is more benign than previous strains, such as Alpha and Delta.

Schools, offices, worshipping, meetings, and other activities have run normally, as the restriction status has been lowered to level 1, but people have been advised to apply necessary health protocols.

Last May, over 200 million Indonesians celebrated Eid al-Fitr in full swing following the government’s decision to relax COVID-19 restrictions, given the significant drop in the number of infections.

As the host of the G20 presidency in 2022, Indonesia had organized some 150 hybrid meetings, including working group meetings, ministerial meetings, G20 Summit, and side events, without any problem.

The extravagant wedding procession of President Joko Widodo’s youngest son, Kaesang, in early December 2022, which was attended by thousands of invitees, confirmed Indonesia’s confidence that the nation could put COVID-19 under control.

This December, Indonesia’s Christians celebrated Christmas merrily since there were hardly public activity restrictions and no limit on mobility of people during the year-end holidays. However, despite no restrictions, the authorities urged the community to continue to comply with health protocols.

AFTER KANJURUHAN TRAGEDY, INDONESIA PURSUES FOOTBALL TRANSFORMATION by Fardah

 

Jakarta, 6/11/2022 (ANTARA) - The Kanjuruhan stadium stampede in Malang district, East Java, on October 1, 2022, which left 135 people, including 43 children, dead, 93 seriously injured, and 484 lightly wounded, has emerged as one of the deadliest disasters in world football history.

Two separate investigationsone conducted by the joint independent fact-finding team (TGIPF) formed by the Indonesian government and another by the National Commission of Human Rights (Komnas HAM)have confirmed that the use of tear gas by the police triggered the deadly crowd crush.

Their findings are in accordance with information provided by eyewitnesses and survivors of the stampede.

TGIPF, which was headed by Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs, Mahfud MD, submitted the results of its investigation to President Joko Widodo on October 14. Meanwhile, Komnas HAM shared the results of its investigation with the press on November 2.

This has indeed been our standing point from the start. Tear gas was the main trigger for the deaths, injuries, or trauma, a member of the commission, Choirul Anam, said at a press conference in Jakarta on November 2.

The police fired tear gas 45 times during the incident, according to another Komnas HAM member, Beka Ulung Hapsara.

The Kanjuruhan stampede occurred following a football match between Arema FC of Malang and Persebaya of Surabaya. Only supporters of Arema were present at the stadium during the match, as supporters of Persebaya were not allowed into the stadium due to security concerns.

Chaos broke out at the stadium when several Arema supporters stormed the pitch after the team lost 23 to Persebaya.

The Malang police, who were supported by military personnel in guarding the match, tried to restore order by firing tear gas, among other measures.

On October 20, Minister Mahfud said that the police and the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) were equally responsible for the incident.

 

INDONESIANS ADVISED VIGILANCE AS COVID SHADOW LOOMS AGAIN by Fardah

 

Jakarta, 31/10/2022 (ANTARA) - After enjoying nearly normal life for about six months, Indonesians are now once again being asked to increase vigilance and observe health protocols strictly amid a spike in infections following the emergence of the XBB sub-variant of Omicron.

Based on data provided by the Task Force for COVID-19 Handling (covid19.go.id), as of October 31, 2022, noon, Indonesia has added 2,717 daily cases, with 24,544 people hospitalized for COVID-19 treatment.

The government has confirmed that the number of daily cases of COVID-19 in Indonesia has risen, with a corresponding increase recorded in the bed occupancy rate (BOR) at COVID-19 hospitals as well as the positivity rate.

"The occupancy rate at COVID-19 hospitals, or national BOR, increased in the last week, in line with the increase in cases, specifically around 19.88 percent (BOR)," government spokesperson for COVID-19 handling, Reisa Broto Asmoro, informed at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on October 27.

She said that on October 24, the country recorded only 1,703 new cases. However, the figure almost doubled to 3,008 the next day and rose further to 3,048 on October 26.

The XBB sub-variant of COVID-19 has a faster transmission rate compared to the BA.5 and BA.2 sub-variants. However, the symptoms of XBB are similar to other Omicron sub-variants. In fact, the fatality rate of the XBB variant is lower compared to that of other Omicron sub-variants.

"We are learning from the situation in our neighboring country to improve our alertness. We cannot let the number of cases spike again in Indonesia," Asmoro said.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the XBB sub-variants symptoms comprise chills, cough, fatigue, muscle ache, headache, and sore throat.

The symptoms also include stuffy or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, and shortness of breath.

At least 19 countries, including Australia, Malaysia, India, Singapore, and the United Kingdom (UK), where most overseas travelers visiting Indonesia come from are currently experiencing a significant increase in COVID-19 cases.

 

Indonesia pushes full steam ahead on G20 Summit preparations by Fardah

 Jakarta, Sept 29, 2022 (ANTARA) - Indonesia will host the G20 Summit for the first time on the Bali Islands, one of the world’s most famous tourist resorts, on November 15 and 16, 2022, as part of its presidency of the grouping. 

The theme of Indonesia’s G20 Presidency, which it assumed on December 2021, is “Recover Together, Recover Stronger.”

The Group 20 (G20) is a strategic multilateral platform connecting the world’s major developed and emerging economies: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, India, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union. Spain is a permanent guest at the G20.

The members of the grouping account for more than 80 percent of global gross domestic product (GDP), 75 percent of global trade, and 60 percent of the population of the planet.

The Indonesian government has been intensively preparing for the summit with the assumption that all G20 leaders such as Vladimir Putin of Russia, Joe Biden of the US, Anthony Albanese of Australia, and King Salman of Saudi Arabia will join the Bali Summit in person.  

The preparations have covered security matters, logistics, transportation, accommodation, infrastructure development, and other facilities, including the media center and emergency medical response for delegates, among others. 

So far, the preparations have been on the right track, according to Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi.

"In the logistics and the substantial aspects, we are ready. I also believe that our preparation progress is on the right track," she told the press after reporting on the progress of preparations to President Joko Widodo at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on September 9, 2022.

INDONESIA STRIVES TO EXPAND COVERAGE OF DIGITALIZATION OF MSMES by Fardah

 

Jakarta, 16/9/2022 (ANTARA) - Indonesia has over 65 million micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) capable of producing competitive products, though several of them had yet to integrate into the digital ecosystem to promote their products domestically and overseas.

They account for 99.9 percent of the business population and 61.07 percent of the national gross domestic product (GDP), or Rp8,573.9 trillion .

Eager to reduce imports, the Indonesian government has been striving to expand the coverage of digitalization of MSMEs, which is one of the strongest pillars of the Indonesian economy.

The government is targeting 30 million MSMEs to enter the digital market by 2024, including 19.5 million MSMEs in 2022, according to Minister of Cooperatives and SMEs Teten Masduki.

At least 19 million MSMEs have so far succeeded in going digital and expanding their market, while 11 million other MSMEs are lining up to adopt digitalization.

Aspiring to become the largest digital economy, with potential reaching Rp4,500 trillion in Southeast Asia by 2030, the government has accelerated economic digitalization transformation by involving various relevant stakeholders.

The digitalization effort also involves the digitization of MSMEs under various national initiatives, such as the Proudly Made in Indonesia National Movement and the Proud Indonesian Traveling National Movement.

Minister Masduki has urged internet marketers to MSMEs to enter the digital ecosystem, as many of the MSMEs are not familiar with digital technology.

To reduce imports and promote domestic products, internet marketers could seek what the people need, such as creating technology application to facilitate marketing, Masduki stated during the Indonesia Digital MeetUp 2022 recently.

"I call for help for our MSMEs to enter the online market because 50 percent of the products sold in e-commerce are still imported products," he noted.

INDONESIA INTENSIFIES VIGILANCE AGAINST MONKEYPOX by Fardah

 

Jakarta, 6/8/2022 (ANTARA) - Amid the global fight against COVID-19, which was first detected in China in late 2019, nearly 80 countries have lately found themselves battling another front - the outbreak of monkeypox.

On July 23, 2022, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.

As of August 2, a total of 25,436 monkeypox cases have been confirmed in nearly 80 countries.

The United States, which currently has the most monkeypox cases in the world at more than 6,600, declared the outbreak a public health emergency on August 4.

The first monkeypox infection was detected in the United Kingdom in early May in an individual with a travel history to Nigeria, where the disease is endemic. Later, the virus spread to other European countries before moving to the United States, Canada, South America, Asia, Africa, and Oceania.

First identified in monkeys in 1958, the disease is characterized by mild symptoms such as fever, aches, and pus-filled skin lesions. People tend to recover from it within two to four weeks, according to the WHO.

The monkeypox virus spreads through close physical contact and is rarely fatal. The vast majority of patients in several countries, including the US, have so far been men who have sex with men.

In the Southeast Asian region, three countries have reported monkeypox cases as of July: Singapore, with eleven confirmed cases; Thailand, with two cases; and the Philippines, with one case.

Indonesia has so far reported no confirmed monkeypox cases, despite the detection of several suspected cases.

According to Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin, a total of nine suspected monkeypox were detected in Indonesia, but all of them tested negative for monkeypox and positive for smallpox.