The Indonesian Embassy in Bratislava handed out the second phase of relief packages to Indonesians, reeling from the impact of the new coronavirus pandemic in Slovakia. The relief packages, comprising rice, instant noodles, sugar, cooking oil, egg, canned food, and masks, were handed out to 15 Indonesians constituting 12 migrant workers, and three students partaking in the student exchange program, the embassy noted in a written statement released on Saturday. The aid was offered to ensure that the Indonesians have sufficient food stocks during the COVID-pandemic, especially during the current holy month of Ramadhan, according to the embassy as quoted by Antara. The Slovak government continues to enforce a lockdown policy, to stem the spread of the new coronavirus that has disrupted most economic activities in the country. Furthermore, the embassy has helped to repatriate 10 Indonesians. In the near future, the embassy will also help repatriate three other Indonesians studying at a local university//Ant

Padjajaran University (Unpad) and the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) in West Java, are jointly developing a new rapid COVID-19 test using antigens, as an alternative to detect the virus, amid a shortage of the reagents necessary to conduct polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests. West Java governor Ridwan Kamil said as quoted by The Jakarta Post, that he new equipment was developed with a Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) sensor, which could detect the virus’ RNA quickly and accurately on the spot. Ridwan said in a statement, after a visit to the Unpad Research Center for Molecular Biotechnology and Bioinformatics on Thursday, that the SPR testing only requires a laptop and a little box containing the samples to detect the virus. PCR tests, currently considered the most precise method to detect the virus in patients, are time-consuming. They require lengthy laboratory test//JP

The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) highlighted that the daily nominal wages of national farm workers in April 2020 reached Rp55,318, a slight rise of 0.12 percent, from Rp55,254 per day in March 2020.

"The wages of national farm workers are stable and increased by 0.12 percent," BPS Head Suhariyanto remarked while holding an online press conference in Jakarta on Friday.

The BPS head believes this condition was influenced by the 0.11-percent inflation in villages in April 2020. Thus, the real wages of farm laborers tended to be stable.

Suhariyanto remarked that the daily nominal wages of construction workers (non-foremen) in April 2020 increased to Rp89,675, or a rise of 0.01 percent, from Rp89,666 per day in March 2020, while real wages decreased by 0.07 percent.

The average nominal wages of hairdressers in April 2020 increased by 0.21 percent to reach Rp28,607, from Rp28,547 in March 2020. The real wages of hairdressers in April 2020 rose by 0.13 percent, to Rp27,297, from Rp27,261 in March 2020.

Furthermore, the average nominal wages of household assistants in April 2020 rose by 0.01 percent, to Rp419,780, from Rp419,739 per month in March 2020. The real wages of household assistants in April 2020 decreased by 0.07 percent, to Rp400,820, as compared to that in March 2020. (ANTARA)

The Indonesian government's task force for COVID-19 handling has reiterated that discipline in applying health protocols would be key to preventing a second wave of coronavirus transmissions in Indonesia.

"There is a chance of a second wave (of COVID-19 transmission) if the public does not adhere to the government's protocol. Self-discipline to follow a healthy lifestyle is the recommendation to avoid a second wave," head of the expert team of the Task Force for the Acceleration of COVID-19 Handling, Wiku Adisasmito, said during a virtual press conference in Jakarta on Thursday.

Such discipline must be maintained by all people, not just those living in COVID-19 red zones, he advised.

"Because what happens in regions will have an impact at the national level," he reiterated.

The task force, he continued, has prepared necessary measures in anticipation of the second wave of COVID-19 transmission. However, active public participation is needed to stem the spread of the virus, he said.

The regional COVID-19 task forces have been assigned the job of monitoring the development of the outbreak in their regions while encouraging the public to play an active role by applying health protocols in their daily life.

The health protocols include staying at home, except for emergency reasons, washing hands with soap, wearing masks when venturing outdoors, and maintaining physical distance from others.

"We cannot do this alone. We need public participation to fight against the pandemic," Adisasmito remarked.

Some countries such as China and South Korea have experienced a second wave of COVID-19 infections, after the emergence of new positive cases in some cities.

As of Wednesday (April 13, 2020), the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Indonesia have reached 15,438, with 3,287 recoveries and 1,028 deaths.

Meanwhile, the number of people under surveillance (ODP) has reached 256,299 and patients under surveillance 33,042. (ANTARA)