VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Feb. 2 - Indonesia has so far vaccinated 539,532 healthcare workers against COVID-19 in 92 districts and cities across 34 provinces.

A total of 57,387 workers were administered the vaccine on Monday. Of the total, 35,406 received their second vaccine dose, the Health Ministry informed in a statement issued here on Monday.

The government has prioritized 1,531,072 healthcare workers for the current stage of the vaccination program, which kicked off on January 13, 2021.

Of the total workers, 1,501,491 have re-registered for the vaccination process.

The government is targeting to inoculate 181,554,465 Indonesians, or around 70 percent of the total population, to build herd immunity against the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

The next group that will be targeted in the second stage of the vaccination program will be military and police officers, workers employed in public places who meet many people, as well as the elderly.

The second phase of the program will extend from February, 2021 to April, 2021.

The Ministry of Health has confirmed that around 13.7 million to 23.1 million doses of free vaccines made by AstraZeneca will arrive in Indonesia in the first quarter of 2021.

The free vaccines will be received through the COVAX Facility, co-led by the Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunization (GAVI) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

While the estimated 13.7 million to 23.1 million doses will be delivered in the initial stage, Indonesia will have the option of obtaining up to a maximum of 108 million doses from the international institution through the diplomatic route. (Antaranews)

Feb. 2 - Bad weather owing to high rainfall intensity affected the Consumer Price Index (CPI), thereby resulting in Indonesia posting an inflation of 0.26 percent in January 2021, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS).

"The impact of La Nina has caused flooding in several production centers," BPS Head Suhariyanto stated here on Monday.

The prices of food, beverage, and tobacco contributed to the price hike, he pointed out.

The prices of cayenne pepper and fresh fish were also affected by bad weather. Suhariyanto noted that cayenne pepper had contributed 0.08 percent to inflation and fresh fish, 0.04 percent, to inflation.

"The hike in price of cayenne pepper occurred in 87 cities, with the highest price increase in Kupang and Bima," he remarked.

Other commodities that recorded a rise in price were tempeh and tofu, which respectively contributed 0.03 percent and 0.02 percent to the inflation.

The price of tempe and tofu increased owing to a rise in the price of imported soybeans in the international market, he explained.

The BPS has urged the government to take precautionary measures against the impacts of floods in several areas since it can potentially disrupt the supply of several commodities, including rice, whose price had been stable and had no impact on inflation over the last two years. (Antaranews)

Feb. 1 - The Indonesian government urged parties involved in the recent political situation in Myanmar, following a military coup and detentions of civilian leaders, to restrain from further actions and opt for dialogue, the Foreign Affairs Ministry stated.

"Indonesia urges all parties in Myanmar to exercise self-restraint and pursue the path of dialogue in finding solutions to challenges, so as not to exacerbate the condition," the ministry noted in an official statement released on Monday.

Reuters reported that during a raid on early Monday, the Burmese military had detained the country's political figures from the National League for Democracy (NLD), including Leader Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint.

According to Reuters, the military announced that the government authority had been handed over to the chief of its armed forces, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, as they asserted this measure was undertaken in response to the "fraud election" held in last year.

Indonesia expresses strong concern over this matter, and "underscores that all electoral differences be addressed in accordance with the available legal mechanism".

"Indonesia calls for the observance of the principles of the ASEAN Charter, among other things, adherence to the rule of law, good governance, the principles of democracy, and constitutional government," the ministry noted. (Antaranews)

Feb. 1 - Most visits by foreigners to Indonesia in December 2020, totaling 164 thousand, were business trips, on duties or missions, and not for tourism travel, the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) stated.

"The number of tourists arriving in December 2020 rose by 13.58 percent as compared to the previous month. There was a slight movement. However, in comparison with 2019, a very steep decline of 88.08 percent was recorded,” BPS Head Suhariyanto noted during a virtual press conference on Monday.

Many of those visiting Bali to attend conferences were guests from international organizations, he remarked.

Some 59 percent of the foreign tourists came by road, 27 percent by sea, and 14 percent by air.

"A sharp decline was recorded at all airports if we compare it to last year's situation. It is likewise for foreign tourists that had traveled by sea and land," he stated.

The prolonged COVID-19 pandemic has battered the tourism sector and its supporting sectors. Not only Indonesia but also various countries are reeling from this uneasy challenge posed by the pandemic, Suhariyanto pointed out.

"This is because many countries, which are the main markets for Indonesian tourists, still impose travel restrictions or travel bans abroad. In fact, several countries that experienced the second wave of the pandemic have returned to imposing the lockdown policy," he remarked. (Antaranews)