VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Ministry of Health reported that the case count of the COVID-19 sub-variant Omicron in Indonesia has increased to eight.

“As of Thursday (October 27), there were four cases: two from overseas travel and two from local (transmission). However, yesterday, there were four additional cases, so, as of Sunday (October 30), we have eight cases of XBB in Indonesia,” Spokesperson of the Ministry of Health, Mohammad Syahril, stated in an online health broadcast on Monday.

According to the ministry’s data, as of Sunday, the eight cases include five cases from Jakarta and one each from Lampung, Kalimantan, and Bali.

Of the eight cases, two were found in people with a history of traveling abroad, while the other six contracted the virus from local transmission.

Syahril noted that although eight cases of XBB had been recorded, the community should not harbor concerns about the sub-variant since from 24 countries that had reported XBB transmission, no country had reported death or high hospital bed occupancy rate (BOR) caused by XBB.

He noted that viruses naturally continue to mutate to live.

Hence, he appealed to all parties to not be neglectful and not allow viruses to cause fatalities in Indonesia.

He expressed optimism that all parties would understand that one of the requirements to enter the endemic phase is maintaining health protocols and getting vaccinated as a form of protection.

The Ministry of Health will also continue to monitor the development of all mutations and the pandemic in the country.

The first case of COVID-19 in Indonesia was confirmed in March 2020. According to data from the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, as of October 31, 2022, the nation has recorded 6,493,079 COVID-19 cases, 6,309,790 recoveries, and 158,631 deaths.(Antara)

The Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture accentuated the need to bolster disaster mitigation programs following an increase in rainfall intensity in several regions in Indonesia.

“Strengthening disaster mitigation programs is essential to minimize the risks that may arise,” Deputy for Coordination of Regional Development Equity and Disaster Management of the ministry Sudirman noted when contacted on Monday.

Sudirman remarked that the mitigation programs encompassed the installation of disaster early detection tools at several locations prone to natural disasters.

In addition, the deputy encouraged regional governments to ready personnel and supporting equipment and rev up the establishment of disaster-resilient villages as one of the efforts of community-based disaster mitigation.

“Regional governments also need to optimize the role and function of the Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) as coordinator in the handling of disasters, such as floods and landslides,” he remarked.

Moreover, Sudirman called on the regional governments to encourage the community to form natural disaster alert command posts.

The Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture highlighted that the increase in rainfall intensity could potentially increase the risks of disaster events, such as floods, flash floods, and landslides.

“Regional governments with (regions that have) high risks of those disasters must take mitigation measures and increase preparedness based on disaster risk,” he emphasized.

The ministry also reminded of the importance of preventing disasters by optimizing the drainage and water management systems as well as infiltration and storage systems to prevent floods and landslides.

Academician from Jenderal Soedirman University (Unsoed) Indra Permanajati stated that the management of flood-prone areas is the main key to flood disaster mitigation.

“The management of the area must be conducted comprehensively, including of upstream and downstream areas. If the handling is only focused on the downstream area, then the water conditions will remain difficult to control,” he explained.(Antara)

The number of G20 leaders confirmed to attend the G20 Summit in Bali on November 15–16, 2022 is very high, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi has informed.



"Right now, the level of (G20) leaders' attendance is very high. We are still waiting for confirmation (of attendance) from several (G20 leaders)," she said in the Presidential Palace compounds here on Monday.




However, she refused to divulge the exact number of G20 leaders who have confirmed their plans to attend the summit.



Several leaders have not confirmed their attendance on account of special situations in their countries, the minister said.



Citing an example, she said the Brazilian leader has not confirmed whether he will attend the summit because of general elections in the country to elect a president. The new president will take office on January 1, 2023.



"We are still waiting for (confirmation) from Brazil about who will come," Marsudi said.



Newly installed G20 leaders such as British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni have confirmed their participation in the G20 Summit, she added.



"We also have received confirmation of attendance from two new G20 leaders. The British and Italian prime ministers have just informed (that they will attend the summit), and I have reported it to Mr. President," she informed.



Most of the G20 leaders will arrive in Bali on November 14, 2022, she said.



"On average, (they) will leave Bali on November 16, 2022, because some of them will fly to Bangkok for the APEC Summit," she added. (Antaranews)

Government spokesperson for COVID-19 Handling, Reisa Broto Asmoro, has asked the community to strengthen health protocol compliance as COVID-19 cases are showing an increasing trend again worldwide.

"If we look at them (COVID-19 positive cases) globally, unfortunately, they are rising again. Indeed, we can connect it (the rise in cases) with the new variant, which is currently spreading and being found in many countries, namely the XBB variant," she said at a health broadcast, which was followed online on Monday.

According to Asmoro, the global rise in COVID-19 cases has been linked to the emergence of the new Omicron sub-variant XBB, which has been identified since August 2022.

Vigilance through health protocols must be strengthened because the XBB has entered Indonesia and also caused a surge in cases in several neighboring countries, such as Singapore, proving that COVID-19 is still a threat to Indonesia.

"We must be more careful. If we want to curb XBB transmission in Indonesia, of course, we must keep in mind the health protocols," Asmoro said.

Besides implementing the health protocols, the community must remain alert to the level of transmission risk in the environment around them, she added.

The easing of restrictions should not become a reason for people to underestimate COVID-19, which could lead to a surge in infections in the country, she said.

Asmoro further noted that even though viral mutations are natural and increasingly show the virus's weakness, the potential for dangerous transmission can still occur at any time. Thus, they cannot be ignored.

"Please be careful again so that we do not get infected and infect other people. Let's strengthen the health protocols for the time being until we can estimate the condition," she said.

The first case of COVID-19 in Indonesia was confirmed in March 2020. According to data from the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, as of October 30, 2022, the nation has recorded 6,490,622 COVID-19 cases, 6,307,481 recoveries, and 158,597 deaths. (Antaranews)