VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) confirmed that 436 of its employees had contracted COVID-19 during the period from March 2020 to July 31, 2021.

"We recorded that 436 employees were confirmed positive during the pandemic, especially 141 from the Deputy for Enforcement," the acting spokesperson of KPK Ali Fikri noted in his statement in Jakarta on Monday.

Fikri revealed that in 2021, some 169 employees had tested positive for COVID-19, of which 41 were from the Deputy for Enforcement.

"We are also saddened by the demise of our fellow employees. During the period from 2020 to 2021, a total of 10 people passed away, the latest being KPK's investigator, Police Commissioner Ardian Rahayudi," he remarked.

Fikri emphasized that the commission had worked relentlessly to fight the virus and protect its employees from the COVID-19 outbreak.

He revealed that several KPK employees had recovered, 44 employees are still tested positive to COVID-19, and four of them were still receiving treatment in hospitals.

In the midst of the pandemic and limited personnel, the anti-graft body had nonetheless managed to work to eradicate corruption, according to Fikri.

"Even so, the KPK still prioritizes the employees' safety because it is most important for us. Remember, 'salus populi suprema lex esto,' or the safety of the people, should be the supreme law," he stressed.

To this end, Fikri noted that the KPK had adjusted the technical implementation of the tasks of corruption eradication. The action was taken since the institution observed a relatively high number of positive cases of COVID-19 in almost all areas of Indonesia, including some of the KPK employees.

"Let us continue to pray for the well-being of our friends, who are undergoing treatment in hospitals or conducting self-isolation at home. We are optimistic that the pandemic would be over soon, and this country would recover," he stated. (Antaranews)