VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Indonesian Ministry of Health has said it will impose sanctions on health facilities and laboratories violating the price limit for polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests.

The sanctions will include the revocation of operational permits, the ministry's director general of health services, Prof. Abdul Kadir, said at a press conference here on Wednesday.

"If anyone does not comply with the policy, we will ask the health office to issue a warning. If it is disregarded, there will be sanctions such as the closure of laboratories and operational permits," he informed.

Kadir pointed out that the maximum price for RT-PCR tests has been lowered to Rp275 thousand for Java and Bali and Rp300 thousand for regions outside Java and Bali.

The results of the RT-PCR will be issued with a maximum span of 1x24 hours of taking the sample, he added.

The price cap for the RT-PCR test has been set through the Circular Letter of the Director General of Health Services No. HK.02.02/1/3843/2021 concerning the highest cost limit of RT-PCR. The regulation came into effect today.

Kadir said the Ministry of Health and the Government’s Development Finance Comptroller (BPKP) had conducted a field investigation about the availability of consumables in the Indonesian market.

"As a result, the (tool kit of RT-PCR) is already available so there is no reason that hospitals would not perform PCR tests," he said.

The Health Ministry has also authorized district/city level health offices to supervise and instruct hospitals and PCR test laboratory managers.

"The local government will issue verbal and written warning as well as operational closures (if necessary)," he added.

Earlier, President Joko Widodo had requested that the price of the PCR test be lowered to Rp300 thousand given that it is now mandatory for air travel, a rule that has garnered a lot of criticism lately.

The President has also asked that the validity period of the test be extended, West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil had informed.

"The President has directed that the PCR price can be lowered to Rp300 thousand and will be valid for 3 x 24 hours for plane trips," he highlighted. (Antaranews)

The Law and Human Rights Ministry cautioned that several irresponsible parties were currently taking advantage of another individual's performing arts to derive personal gains.

"Often people record an art performance of a dancer through a smartphone and then the recording is published for personal gains," Director of Intellectual Property Cooperation and Empowerment of the Directorate General of Intellectual Property of the ministry Daulat P. Silitonga stated during an online discussion as seen here on Wednesday.

The irresponsible party uploads the recording to their personal social media accounts without the permission of the dancer, musician, or art creator.

This act definitely harms the artist or intellectual property's creator. According to the law, the owner of the work is entitled to economic and moral rights over the work he or she creates.

This condition persists to this day and has discouraged artists or people who create intellectual properties. Such unlawful actions have become more rampant than ever, attributed to the progression of times and the rapid developments in information technology.

"Hence, it is very important for artists to know their rights," Silitonga affirmed.

Generally, performing arts, in which various arts are included, are objects of copyright protection. This includes music, dance, dancers, and musicians, who play music.

Silitonga emphasized that creators or copyright holders of works of art had their rights stipulated clearly in Law Number 28 of 2014 on Copyright.

“Moral rights and economic rights, as the exclusive rights of creators and performers, are also protected in Articles 9, 12, and 23 of Law Number 28 of 2014 regarding Copyright," he concluded. (Antaranews)

All fully-vaccinated Australian citizens and permanent residents will be able to leave the country without a special exemption from Nov. 1, authorities said on Wednesday, as Australia eases coronavirus restrictions amid a rise in vaccination rates.

Australians have been unable to travel abroad for more than 18 months without a government waiver, while thousands of fully-vaccinated residents living abroad have been unable to return due to a cap on arrivals to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Many of these are now expected to return after Sydney and Melbourne ended quarantine rules for inoculated travelers from Nov. 1. Other cities, mostly virus-free, are expected to ease their border rules once they reach higher vaccination rates.

"The national plan is working ... (it) is about opening Australia up and that is because the vaccination rates are climbing so high," Prime Minister Scott Morrison told Seven News on Wednesday.

Australia's drug regulator, meanwhile, provisionally approved a booster dose of Pfizer Inc's (PFE.N) COVID-19 vaccine for people aged over 18, as first-dose vaccination levels in people over 16 neared 90%.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said the rollout is expected to begin by Nov. 8 once the government receives advice from the country's vaccination technical advisory group.

The decision to lift the travel ban from next week comes after Singapore on Tuesday said it would allow quarantine-free entry to travellers vaccinated against COVID-19 from Australia from Nov. 8.

A third wave of infections fuelled by the Delta variant forced lockdowns in Australia's biggest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, and both have been gradually easing restrictions after racing through their vaccination targets.

Even with the Delta outbreaks, Australia has fared better than many comparable countries, with around 164,000 cases and 1,669 deaths. Victoria state reported 1,534 new cases on Wednesday, up from 1,510 a day earlier, while those in New South Wales rose to 304 from 282. (Reuters)

Taiwan is not seeking to get into an arms race with China but does need to defend itself and will not submit to pressure, its defence ministry said in a report to parliament on Wednesday.

Tensions between Taiwan and China, which claims the democratically-governed island as its own territory, have spiked over the past year as Beijing ups its military and political pressure to force Taipei to accept Chinese sovereignty.

That has included repeated missions by Chinese warplanes in Taiwan's air defence identification zone, or ADIZ, which covers a broader area than Taiwan's territorial air space which Taiwan monitors and patrols to give it more time to respond to any threats.

China is in the midst of a military modernisation programme, building new aircraft carriers and stealth fighters, while Taiwan is also increasing military spending, especially on developing new missiles and submarines.

In its report to parliament, Taiwan's Defence Ministry described the situation in the Taiwan Strait that separates it from its giant neighbour as "severe and unstable" and labelled the actions of China's military "provocation".

"Taiwan will not engage in an arms race with the Chinese Communists' military and will not seek military confrontation, hoping for peaceful coexistence across the strait," it said.

"But in the face of the Chinese Communists' threat to our national security, we will do our best to defend our country's sovereignty and will never give in under duress."

What it termed the "confrontation" between Taiwan and China would be "difficult to alleviate in the short term".

The military will strive to hone its abilities to monitor Chinese aircraft and ships so it can react earlier, and will also exchange intelligence with foreign countries so it can be fully informed of the regional security situation, it added.

Speaking earlier on Wednesday in Beijing, a Chinese government spokesman reiterated their determination to prevent Taiwan's formal independence and bring the island under China's rule, preferably peacefully.

But Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for China's Taiwan Affairs Office, added: "We do not promise to renounce the use of force and reserve the option to take all necessary measures".

Democratically-ruled Taiwan says it is an independent country and will defend itself if attacked.

The tensions have sparked international concern of a conflict that could pit the United States and its allies against China. (Reuters)