VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Governor of Bali Wayan Koster (right) and of the Task Force for COVID-19 Handling Doni Monardo (left). (Antaranews Bali/HO-Pemprov Bali/2021)

Bali Governor Wayan Koster has claimed that the customary village-based imposition of micro-scale public activity restrictions (PPKM Mikro) has helped push down the COVID-19 infection rate on the resort island.

"Bali's number of new confirmed cases, counted on a daily basis, has shown a downward trend since the imposition of this PPKM Mikro policy," Koster said in a press statement that ANTARA received here on Friday.

In addition to the enforcement of PPKM Mikro that has contributed to the decline in the province's infection rate, local residents' awareness on abiding by the government's health protocols has also improved, he informed.

At present, Bali's COVID-19 recovery rate is recorded at 93.10 percent, while its death rate stands at 2.86 percent, and infection rate at 4.05 percent, he said, adding that the authorities are also taking stern action against those found violating health protocols.

"Foreign tourists found guilty of violating the government's health protocols are subject to legal sanctions, including getting fined Rp1 million and deported," Koster said.The government's vaccination program has been continued to create herd immunity on Bali Island, he added.

The Bali provincial government has set a target of inoculating three million residents, or 70 percent of Bali's total population, under the vaccination program.

As of March 28, 2021, Indonesia has set up 7,664 command posts in 15 provinces to impose PPKM Mikro.

The 7,664 command posts are in charge of prevention measures for 12,619,259 households in 193,550 neighborhood units, according to the COVID-19 task force.

Indonesia has been striving to win the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic since the government officially announced the country's first cases on March 2, 2020.The government has rolled out a nationwide vaccination program since January 13 this year to stem the spread of the disease.

The Health Ministry estimates it will take 15 months to vaccinate around 181.5 million people under the national program.

"We need 15 months to accomplish it. The time-frame for conducting the vaccination is counted from January, 2021 to March, 2022," Health Ministry's spokesperson for the vaccination program, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, stated recently.

During the period, the government is targeting to inoculate about 181.5 million people, including 1.3 million paramedics and 17.4 million public sector workers in 34 provinces, she informed.

Tarmizi noted that the first phase of the government's immunization program has been divided into two periods: January-April, 2021 and April, 2021-March, 2022.Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto has affirmed that all TNI personnel will participate in the vaccination program.

Indonesia's COVID-19 infection rate crossed one million cases on January 26, 2021. The outbreak has dragged Indonesia into serious public health and economic crises//ANT