VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesia must learn from the coronavirus surge in several countries in Europe in order to prevent a third wave of infections, the COVID-19 Handling Task Force has stressed.

"The implementation of health protocols is what makes us different. In other countries, a decrease in cases is followed by the easing of health protocols. However, we are different," head of Behavior Change at the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, Sonny Harry B. Harmadi, said at an online discussion, accessed from here on Wednesday.

Several things must be considered to maintain a decline in cases and avoid a potential third wave of COVID-19, he stated

First, COVID-19 health protocols should never be eased, he said. The COVID-19 surge in several countries in Europe occurred because mask-wearing in public places was no longer an obligation, he added.

Second, COVID-19 vaccinations must be conducted massively to ensure high and uniform vaccination coverage, Harmadi said.

He affirmed that the Indonesian government is continuing to push the expansion of vaccination coverage. About 40 percent or 85.3 million citizens have received the second dose of the vaccine, while 131,292,871 people have received the first dose as of Tuesday, he noted.

"We have our own policy of implementing the PeduliLindungi application as a condition for entry or travel. This policy encourages people to get vaccinated. For example, if they want to go to the mall, they must show their vaccine certificates," he said.

Last, tighten the arrival of people from abroad and increase surveillance on the country's borders to prevent the entry of new COVID-19 variants, he said.

Currently, he said, the sub-variant of Delta, AY.4.2, which is suspected to be behind the case surge in Inggris, has been detected in Singapore and Malaysia. Therefore, tightening Indonesia's entry points is essential, he added.

"The entry of a new variant could have an impact on a spike in cases like in July, which was caused by the transmission of the Delta variant," he remarked.  (Antaranews)

Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) on Wednesday inaugurated General Andika Perkasa as the Commander of the Indonesian Military Forces (TNI) in place of Air Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto at the State Palace in Jakarta.

The inauguration was based on Presidential Decree Number 106/ TNI of 2021 concerning the Dismissal and Appointment of the TNI Commander, which was scheduled for November 17, 2021.

"In carrying out my duties, I will uphold the rules, work to the best of my ability and full of responsibility, as well as maintain the oath of soldiers,” the general stated as part of his oath of office, guided by the President.

President Widodo put epaulets and insignias on Perkasa's shoulders and handed over the baton of the TNI commander during the ceremony.

On November 8 this year, the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) approved Widodo's proposal for making Perkasa a candidate for the post of TNI commander.

Earlier, Commission I of the DPR had conducted a fit and proper test for Perkasa on November 6.

Before his appointment as the TNI Commander, he served as the Army Chief of Staff (Kasad). Born in Bandung on December 21, 1964, Perkasa graduated from the Military Academy (Akmil) in 1987.

He started his career as a lower-ranking commissioned officer in the 2nd Para Commandos Group and served in the SAT-81 Gultor Counter-Terrorism Group (Gultor) of the Army’s Special Strike Force (Kopassus) for 12 years.

On October 23, 2014, he was inaugurated as the Commander of the Presidential Security Forces (Paspampres).

Furthermore, deemed the best graduate at the Military Command and Staff College (Sesko) in 2000, he took over as the Army Chief of Staff (Kasad) on November 22, 2018.

During his tenure as Army Chief of Staff he assisted the government in implementing the mass vaccination program by deploying Indonesian Army (TNI AD) personnel for immunizations.

He also took firm action by firing 31 TNI AD soldiers connected to an attack on the Ciracas Police Sector office in East Jakarta on August 29, 2020.

Furthermore, in a statement issued on August 11, 2021, he nixed the virginity test requirement in the recruitment process for TNI soldiers. (Antaranews)

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has said that provinces experiencing an increase in COVID-19 cases will receive an immediate warning.

"Provinces with increased cases of COVID-19 will be warned and given assistance to reduce positive cases," he informed during the plenary cabinet session at his office on Wednesday.

He emphasized that the focus of COVID-19 handling efforts is reducing daily cases and active cases.

"We know that our active cases are below 9 thousand and the number of daily cases is increasing between 300–400," he added.

He asked ministers to focus on provinces, districts, and cities experiencing an increase in cases, even if it is slight.

"We know that the United States is experiencing an increase with 70 thousand cases per day, The United Kingdom with 39 thousand cases, Russia is reaching 38 thousand, and Germany with 30 thousand daily cases. We must stay vigilant," Widodo stressed.

The Indonesian government has complete data on COVID-19 updates in the country, he said.

"Based on the data, we can see which city and district is experiencing an increase. We will give assistance to lower the daily cases," he added.

Indonesia added 347 positive COVID-19 cases on November 16, 2021, which took the total count to 4,251,423.

As of Wednesday, Indonesia's active cases were recorded at 8,339, or equivalent to 0.2 percent of the total cases.

Meanwhile, with the addition of 515 recoveries, the number of people who have recovered from the virus reached 4,099,399. The nation added 15 deaths, taking the death toll to 143,685 as of November 16.

The coordinator of community mobility restrictions (PPKM) for Java-Bali, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, said several cases were reported in Java-Bali.

Twenty-nine percent of districts/cities recorded an increase in cases compared to last week and 34 percent of districts/cities experienced an increase in hospitalized patients compared to last week, he informed.

In total, 26 districts/cities are enforcing Level 1 PPKM and 61 districts/cities are implementing Level 2 PPKM in Java-Bali, he said. (Antaranews)

The Mataram Immigration Checkpoint (TPI) has increased its supervision of foreigners ahead of the World Superbike (WSBK) championship at the Pertamina Mandalika Circuit in Central Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, on November 19-21.

The step was taken as a precautionary measure against security disturbances and to support the motorcycle racing activity.

"The Foreigners Surveillance Team (Timpora) will be ready to address security issues during WSBK at the Mandalika International Street Circuit," Subsection Head of Enforcement at the Immigration Office Class I in TPI Mataram, Reza Mulyawan, stated on Wednesday.

In order to welcome the 2021 Asian Talent Cup (IATC) and WSBK, the Mataram Immigration Office has held a monitoring meeting on foreigners with Timpora in Lombok.

"We want to coordinate with all parties, including the National Police, Indonesia Defence Forces (TNI), and Timpora as well, to prevent security disturbances during WSBK," Mulyawan added.

Apart from foreigners, security issues may arise with regard to domestic tourists, as WSBK's spectators also come from several regions in Indonesia, he noted.

He later remarked that the Mataram Immigration Office did not have direct contact with foreigners since they were scheduled to land at the Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Jakarta.

Mulyawan noted that his side had to coordinate with all stakeholders in Central Lombok to avoid any issues from surfacing during WSBK.

"We need to coordinate because when the problem occurred, then we determine which course of action to take. We need data on foreigners coming for WSBK," he remarked.

He also reminded the Timpora to optimize security prevention during WSBK, considering that Central Lombok is currently the hub of the racing competition.

To this end, he expects this activity to be able to strengthen synergy among Timpora members to ensure the success of the WSBK event and encourage economic growth in the community.

"We hope the community would help to support WSBK to boost our economic growth," he added.  (Antaranews)