VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Feb. 9 - Minister of Communication and Informatics, Johnny G Plate, has asked the press and media to continue to prioritize their main function which is to disseminate information and educate the public.

Speaking at the National Mass Media Convention, held online to mark the 2021 National Press Day (HPN) on Monday, Plate said the current challenge of digitalization should be seen as an opportunity to discharge the noble duties of the press in disseminating information to educate the nation's life.

"None other than this repeatedly and continues to be conveyed in order to educate the nation's life, regardless of the level of competition that continues to be extraordinary, regardless of technological disruption, (and the impact) from COVID-19, the press must still prioritize its main function in educating the nation's life," he stressed.

According to the minister, the changing conditions must be responded to with enthusiasm to move forward by increasing the capacity of the national press, especially for cyber media actors, who can reach the public quickly.

At present, the press is being encouraged to participate in transforming and continuing to adapt to the rapid development of technology, including the impact of COVID-19 on the press industry, Plate explained.

Advances in technology and digitalization have expanded the coverage of the press and media, considering that society is becoming increasingly dependent on technology itself, he observed.

The public's need and demand for access to information that is fast and even, free, have also increased with digitalization, he noted.

"The survey conducted by the ministry in 2020 shows the dominance of social media as additional information that is most trusted by the public; now we must be aware of this together," he said.

People trust social media as a trusted information channel, he informed adding, about 20 percent of the people surveyed said that.

"Seeing this phenomenon, the press and media are generally required to change the reporting process to be more concise and more efficient," he said.

However, the resurgence of social media as a media that is trusted by the public can spark other issues in the future, he cautioned.

This, he said, certainly needs to be addressed wisely, even though digitization has made the press and media make changes in several business processes.

"Do not let the enthusiasm to publish information that is actually factual and accountable to change. Do not let it change," he emphasized.

The Communication and Informatics Minister said the press must continue to be vigilant over infodemics that fill news rooms with post-truth, hoaxes, disinformation, fake news, and so on, which only confuse the public.

Plate asked the press and media to remain up-to-date and be factual and accountable, despite the new conditions created by the development of information technology and digitalization.

All related media people should, he said, be able to further strengthen joint commitment, as well as expand the role of the media in building a mass media that is factual and accountable.

"This is important to do considering that the media is an accelerator of change, as well as the main pillar of democracy," Minister Plate said. (Antaranews)

Feb. 9 - Some 2.5 million senior citizens in East Java Province will receive their second COVID-19 vaccine shots along with public service officers and civil servants.

"The BPOM (the Drug and Food Control Agency) has authorized the emergency use of the CoronaVac vaccine for senior citizens or those aged above 60 years. This is especially in East Java, where the number of senior citizens reaches 2,551,472," member of the curative task force of the East Java COVID-19 handling and control team Dr Makhyan Jibril Al Farabi stated here on Monday.

The doctor explained that the senior citizens will be administered their second COVID-19 vaccine jabs along with public service officers, civil servants, and military and police personnel.

"The exact time is late February or after the current vaccination of medical workers is over," he remarked.

Farabi noted that the task force awaits directives from the East Java governor and the central government on the implementation of the second phase of COVID-19 vaccination.

The BPOM has issued an emergency use authorization for the administration of two shots of CoronaVac vaccine to each citizen aged 60 years and above in an interval of 28 days.

However, the BPOM highlighted the importance of ensuring that the vaccination of senior citizens be conducted carefully since they are at high risk.

Senior citizens tend to develop comorbidities that warrants a pre check-up before the doctor approves the vaccination. (Antaranews)

Feb. 9 - The implementation of restrictions on community activities (PPKM) in Java and Bali in two stages has not shown major results, but there have been several improvements, government spokesperson for COVID-19 handling, Prof. Wiku Adisasmito, said.

"What is important is that the occupancy of beds, both for isolation and for treatment, has decreased. In terms of number, the occupancy of beds in the hospital has decreased, although on the other hand, there has been an increase in bed capacity," he informed during a discussion held by the Task Force for COVID-19 Handling in Jakarta on Monday.

Another improvement is that the number of positive cases of COVID-19 has started to decline, although the figure is not large, he noted. Therefore, restrictions on community activities (PPKM) in Java and Bali must be further enforced, especially community discipline in implementing health protocols, he added.

According to Adisasmito, PPKM was, in principle, aimed at limiting community activities. Moreover, the number of cases had tended to increase from the end of 2020 to January, 2021, he said.

"PPKM is intended to reduce the rate of transmission so that cases can be controlled. There were several things that needed to be noted at that time (when the restrictions were announced), namely year-end holidays and high community activities," he pointed out.

Speaking on the initiatives taken by a number of regional heads who have limited community activities at certain times, Adisasmito cited the example of the Governor of Central Java, Ganjar Pranowo, who has appealed to the public to stay home on weekends.

In principle, restrictions on community activities must be carried out at all times to prevent transmission of COVID-19, he noted.

However, the regional head, Pranowo, did an evaluation and saw that there were certain periods that made a big contribution to transmission, he said.

“Maybe on Saturdays and Sundays, there will be high population mobility because they want to find entertainment, so they can be limited (by controlling public movement on those days). Controlling COVID-19 cannot be equated nationally because each region has its own characteristics," he remarked. (Antaranews)

Feb. 9 - The Indonesian government will enforce restrictions on community activities (PPKM) using a micro-based approach, or at the local level, from 9 February to 22 February, 2021, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, said.

The PPKM would be implemented at the neighboring unit (RT), community unit (RW), village, and sub-district levels to curb positive coronavirus cases and tame the infection curve as a precondition for the successful handling of COVID-19 and national economic recovery, he informed.

"Of course, there needs to be a more micro approach, in accordance with the President's direction, namely up to the village or sub-district level," Hartarto said at an online press conference in Jakarta on Monday.

He explained that in order for COVID-19 cases to be well-controlled, it is necessary to establish a post or guard post at the village and sub-district level that performs four functions — prevention, handling, provision of guidance, and operational support for handling COVID-19.

He said handling functions will include the 3Ts of tracing, testing, and treatment, while prevention functions will include socializing the implementation of the 3Ms (using masks, keeping distance, and washing hands), as well as limiting mobility.

The function of guidance will include enforcing discipline, imposing sanctions, persuasion of crowd restrictions, and strengthening citizen solidarity, while supporting functions will cover data, logistics, communication, and administration, he added.

The COVID control measures at the guard post would comprise four tasks: maximizing 3Ts, isolating positive patients and close contacts, limiting mobility and movement, and providing basic necessities, such as rice and masks, he informed.

“(The measures would also involve) The formation of command posts at the village and sub-district levels, which will be headed by the village head and subdistrict head, respectively," he added.

In addition, the 3Ts will be ramped up along with fulfillment of community needs, he said.

For the purpose of testing, a free antigen swab test will be carried out for communities in villages and sub-districts by the Health Ministry using health facilities and puskesmas (community health centers) in their respective areas, he explained.

Tracing will be carried out more intensively in villages and sub-districts by using village supervisory non-commissioned officers (Babinsa) or village public order officers (Bhabinkamtibmas), who have been trained as tracers by the Ministry of Health, he informed.

For treatment, there will be provision for independent isolation and centralized care at health facilities, which will be coordinated by the village or sub-district guard post, he added.

Meanwhile, the fulfillment of basic needs in the form of rice provision will be carried out for people in the red zone, while cloth masks will be provided to all village communities, he said.

"The regulation to impose restrictions on various community activities at the district and city level, which is implemented by the Governor, is a regional priority that determines the restrictions on community activities (PPKM) with a micro-based approach, or at the local level," Hartarto stated. (Antaranews)