VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Netherlands donated COVID-19 personal protective equipment to Indonesia through the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Jakarta on Tuesday.

The donation comprised 5 million surgical masks, 250 thousand isolation coats, 200 thousand aprons, and 100 thousand goggles, according to a press statement issued by Minister Plenipotentiary/ deputy head of mission of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Jakarta, Ardi Stoios-Braken.

The materials will be used for humanitarian response carried out independently by the PMI and the ICRC across Indonesia for the benefit of the Indonesian people, she said.

"The Indonesian government has achieved impressive results in its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Large numbers of the population have been fully vaccinated and (public activity restrictions) PPKM measures are gradually being relaxed in locations where the local situation allows for it. The government of the Netherlands is proud to support these efforts and show its solidarity with Indonesia through a donation of medication and vaccines,” she added.

However, there are regions and population groups whose needs have not yet been sufficiently met, she highlighted.

“With the donation of personnel protection materials, we hope to support PMI and ICRC in addressing the COVID-19 response needs of these regions and people,’’ she added.

Meanwhile, PMI chairman Jusuf Kalla informed that COVID-19 in Indonesia has caused approximately 140 thousand deaths, while more than 4 million people have been infected with the virus.

Therefore, support of all nations is needed to help Indonesia win the fight against COVID-19, he added.

“The assistance from the Netherlands Embassy is very useful and we are grateful for it. Although COVID-19 cases in Indonesia are currently decreasing—in contrast to the conditions in July 2021 when the number of new cases reached around 50 thousand per day, the figure is currently down 99 percent as the number of new cases has reached 500 per day—we still have to be vigilant to face the third wave of COVID-19 case spike,” he expounded.

Meanwhile, head of the ICRC regional delegation for Indonesia and Timor-Leste, Alexandre Faite, said that the ICRC, together with the PMI, is endeavoring to assist the Indonesian government’s COVID-19 response.

“We are delighted to support the PMI in distributing the PPEs to different areas in Indonesia. One of the priority concerns includes the vaccination program in the eastern part of Indonesia as we open several vaccination centers in East Nusa Tenggara, Maluku, Papua, and West Papua provinces,” he remarked.

Faite lauded the Netherlands for the donation and said he hoped efforts will be scaled up to reach out to more people.

The donation shipped by the Netherlands last September arrived at the Tanjung Priok seaport of Jakarta and will be transported to designated Indonesian Red Cross warehouses across Indonesia, he said. (antaranews)