VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Vice President Ma'ruf Amin and his wife Madam Wury Estu Handayani prepare to fly to East Java Province for working visits on January 13, 2022. (ANTARA/HO-Vice President's Secretariat/uyu) - 

Vice President Ma'ruf Amin has projected that temporary housing for survivors of the Mount Semeru eruption will be built soon and be ready before the 2022 Eid Al-Fitr.

“My wish is in accordance with the refugees’ request. Insya Allah (if God wills), the housing can be occupied during the 2022 Eid Al-Fitr," Amin stated while visiting the disaster refugees in Sumber Mujur Village, Candipuro Sub-district, Lumajang District, East Java Province, on Friday.

The VP noted that construction of the temporary housing is estimated to take a month.

"The government has planned to build temporary housing. Furthermore, it will be continued with the establishment of permanent housing at the same place. Thus, the community does not need to be relocated again," the vice president explained.

Thus, the people will get two houses, the temporary and permanent ones, Amin confirmed.

"The permanent housing will be better than the temporary housing, although the temporary one has been pretty comfortable," he explained.

Head of Lumajang District Thoriqul Haq noted that development of the temporary housing will be funded through various donations from several non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

The temporary housing will be constructed simultaneously by NGOs and volunteers, he revealed.

“We will assign each NGO to one housing block, for instance, the construction of Block A will be conducted by NGO X, while Block B will be developed by Lazismu (alms agency of Islamic NGO Muhammadiyah),” he explained.

The completion of temporary houses for families, with toddlers, children, and elderly, will be prioritized.

Temporary and permanent housing will be developed in parallel, so that the community can occupy their new house soon and continue to conduct their daily activities.

"The temporary housing has been constructed. The development of permanent housing will follow soon. We have targeted the people to be able to reside there on Eid Al-Fitr," the head of Lumajang District remarked//ANT

An officer shows a seismograph record. (ANTARA PHOTO/Asep Fathulrahman/ama/aa/uyu) - 

A 6.6-magnitude earthquake struck the area of Sumur Sub-district in Banten Province on Friday at around 04.05 p.m. Western Indonesian Standard Time (WIB), but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

The epicenter of the quake was located about 52 kilometers (km) away from southwest of Sumur Sub-district in Pandeglang District at a depth of 10 kilometers,  according to the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).

The quake, which was.located at coordinates 7.01 degree south latitude and 105.26 degrees east longitude, did not trigger tsunami, the agency said.

Its tremors, however, could be felt by those in Jakarta, and Bogor, West Java Province//ANT

International travelers queued for document checking upon arrival at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten on January 7, 2022. ANTARA PHOTO/Fauzan/rwa - 

The government has lifted its entry ban on nationals from 14 countries with Omicron infections, citing stringent mitigation measures in Indonesia and the importance of allowing cross-country movements for economic recovery.

"In accordance with the prevention efforts made by the government, the COVID-19 Task Force has decided to withdraw the list of 14 countries (with community transmission of Omicron) whose citizens are prohibited from entering Indonesia," spokesperson for the COVID-19 Task Force, Wiku Adisasmito, announced in a statement received here on Friday.

Adisasmito said the decision was taken since the Omicron variant has spread to 150 out of 195 countries as of January 10, 2022.

"If the entry ban is still enforced, it will make it difficult for cross-country movements, which are still needed to maintain country stability, including for national economic recovery," he explained.

The policy to open foreign travel was taken based on the results of a joint decision at a limited meeting on January 10, 2022, and has been promulgated in the Circular Letter of the COVID-19 Task Force No. 02/2022 concerning Overseas Travel Health Protocols during the COVID-19 Pandemic, he informed.

The decision to lift the entry ban has also been followed by a tightening of the criteria for foreigners, which are as stringent as the previous ones, he said.

With the lifting of the entry ban, the government has equalized the duration of quarantine for all travelers to 7x24 hours, Adisasmito informed.

The policy has been outlined in the Decree of the Head of the Task Force No. 3 of 2022 concerning Entry Points, Quarantine Places, and RTPCR Obligations for Indonesian Citizens Traveling Overseas, which came into effect on January 12, 2022, he said.

Adisasmito said that the decision is also supported by scientific findings in various countries. For example, a study conducted by Brandal et al. (2021) has found that the median incubation period for Omicron cases is three days post infection, he noted.

The initial report on the results of an epidemiological investigation of the Omicron variant in Japan in 2022 has also stated that the virus load in patients reaches the highest level on the third to sixth day after symptoms appear, he said.

An expert team of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States has also recommended a shorter quarantine period after it was scientifically proven that a patient's ability to infect other people is at the beginning of infection, on the first and second days, before symptoms appear two until three days later, he added.

"So, this quarantine period is a time to detect potential symptoms, ranging from someone infected to showing symptoms. Hence, the potential for transmission in the community can be avoided," he observed.

Adisasmito said that based on the results of the latest study, the symptoms of Omicron are expected to appear earlier. Therefore, a quarantine of seven days is sufficient to detect positive cases, he added.

"Moreover, detection efforts have been carried out several times with entry and exit tests as well as strict monitoring of the distribution of Omicron variants with S-Gene Target Failure (SGTF) and Whole Genome Sequencing (WGF), which is in line with WHO's multilayered strategy recommendations regarding international travel," Adisasmito said//ANT

Vice President Ma'ruf Amin flies to East Java to review the construction location of temporary housing for communities affected by the eruption of Mount Semeru in Lumajang District, East Java, Friday (January 14, 2022). (ANTARA/HO-Vice President Secretariat) - 

Vice President Ma'ruf Amin reviewed the construction site of temporary housing built for communities affected by the eruption of Mount Semeru in Candipuro, Lumajang District, East Java, on Friday.

Amin, aboard the VVIP Super Puma Helicopter, landed at the Srikandi Helipad, Tempeh, Lumajang District, on Friday morning, at 7:45 a.m. local time.

The vice president was greeted by Head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Lt Gen. Suharyanto and Lumajang District Head Thoriqul Haq.

The Indonesian Government will build 1,951 temporary houses for communities affected by Mount Semeru's eruption. Currently, a unit prototype is already in place to serve as a reference for constructing the temporary housing.

In addition, the temporary housing will be replete with various public facilities comprising markets, mosques, and sports facilities.

On December 16, 2021, the vice president had monitored areas impacted by the Mount Semeru eruption and the evacuees through a video conference from Juanda Airport in Surabaya.

To this end, Amin had instructed the East Java provincial government and BNPB to chalk out a spatial design in the Mount Semeru area by focusing on the disaster aspect.

Amin also urged people living in disaster-prone regions to be relocated to safer areas.

If the conditions do not allow relocation, he requested the East Java provincial government and the Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) to aggressively disseminate information on mitigation efforts.

"If (relocation) is not possible due to some reasons, the East Java provincial government will be actively assisted by the BPBD by forming a community that responds well to disasters. There is also a need for support for accessibility and capacity of shelters," Amin remarked.

In his work trip to East Java, Amin was accompanied by BNPB Head Lt Gen. Suharyanto, Deputy Minister of Environment and Forestry Alue Hodong, and Secretary General of the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing Zainal Fatah//ANT