VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Mr Gan Kim Yong attends a COVID-19 multi-ministry task force press conference via video conference with (from left) Professor Kenneth Mak, Mr Lawrence Wong, Mr Ong Ye Kung and Dr Tan See Leng on Oct 2, 2021. (Photo: MCI) - 

Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong has been issued a health risk warning (HRW) after being in contact with someone who had tested positive for COVID-19.

Mr Gan was not physically present at the multi-ministry task force press conference on Saturday (Oct 2), joining instead via video conference.

“Minister Gan was issued a health risk warning following close contact with a positive COVID-19 case and is minimising social interactions until his HRW ends on Oct 4,” the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) said.

Health risk warnings are issued to those who have been identified as close contacts of COVID-19 cases, based on data from TraceTogether and SafeEntry.

People who have been in close proximity with a COVID-19 case for an extended period of time will also receive a health risk warning.

They must comply with the testing and isolation requirements by law, including taking a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test within 48 hours of the SMS notification.

They must also self-isolate until they receive a negative test result but should continue to minimise social interactions as much as possible for the entire period.

On the third, fifth and seventh day from the last exposure, they should perform a self-test with an antigen rapid test (ART). A second PCR test should also be done on the eighth day from the last exposure.

The health risk warning period ends on the 10th day from the last exposure//CNA

FILE PHOTO: An employee holds a vial containing Sputnik vaccine at a factory of Hankook Korus Pharm, in Chuncheon, South Korea September 10, 2021. Picture taken September 10, 2021. REUTERS/Heo Ran - 

All the barriers to register Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine with the World Health Organization (WHO) have been cleared and only some paperwork remains to be completed, Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said on Saturday (Oct 2).

The Sputnik V shot, widely used in Russia and approved for use in over 70 countries, is undergoing a review by the WHO and the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Their approval could open up new markets for the shot, especially in Europe.

Murashko has met WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in Geneva.

"Russia's position on promotion and registration of the Sputnik V vaccine was heard, we have removed all the questions for today," Murashko was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency.

He said that the company which is dealing with Sputnik V registration at WHO only "has to sign a few documents, submit a few additional papers".

The WHO could not be immediately reached for comment.

The WHO said in July its review of how Russia produces the Sputnik V vaccine had found some issues with the filling of vials at one plant. The manufacturer said it had since addressed all of the WHO's concerns//CNA

A screenshot of the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno during the webinar "Improving the Quality of Batik Wealth of the Archipelago" which was monitored online in Yogyakarta, Saturday (Oct 2, 2021). (ANTARA/Luqman Hakim/ak) - 

Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno said that Indonesia's batik industry has driven the community's economy by absorbing more than 200 thousand workers.

"Batik industry can absorb more than 200 thousand workers in more than 47 thousand business units spread across 101 batik industry centers," Uno said in the webinar on improving the quality of batik to commemorate the National Batik Day, monitored online in Yogyakarta, Saturday.

The minister said that batik has been developed from a traditional art to become a modern art.

There are more than 5,849 Indonesian batik motifs from Aceh to Papua. Batik is also rich in a variety of colors, designs, and ways to draw the cloth with spouted canting.

As it is increasingly worn in everyday life, according to him, batik is one of the sources of people's income that drives the community's economy.

Head of The National Standardization Agency (BSN) Kukuh S. Achmad said that as a creative industry with promising market potential, a strategy is needed to face the challenges of this era of the creative economy industry so that Indonesian batik products can compete in the global market.

With the increasing public awareness of the quality of batik, according to Kukuh, the role of the Indonesian National Standard (SNI) is becoming increasingly important.

"The government has an obligation to encourage batik producers to improve the quality of batik, through the application of SNI," he said.

Kukuh explained that the BSN is obliged to provide SNI and a scheme for the implementation, development, and facilitation of certification.

"In addition to playing a role in providing protection to the community, SNI also becomes a guide to increase the competitiveness of Indonesian products," Kukuh stated.

The BSN has set 32 standard of quality for batik and batik products in order to preserve the traditional fabric.

"With SNI, it means that the batik has met the standards of quality, which are recognized nationally and internationally," he said//ANT

Speaker of the House of Representatives (DPR RI), Puan Maharani, during a visit to Papua on Saturday (October 2, 2021). (ANTARA/HO-Dokumentasi Ketua DPR RI) - 

Speaker of the House of Representatives (DPR RI), Puan Maharani, has urged Papuan traditional leaders to help the government encourage residents to get vaccinated to expedite the achievement of herd immunity.

Efforts to reach the vaccination target in Papua will need the cooperation of many parties, including traditional leaders and religious leaders, who have an impact on the community, she opined.

"Traditional leaders and religious leaders have an important role in convincing the Papuan people of the importance of vaccination," she said in a written statement received here on Saturday.

Virus transmission can be handled if every region, including Papua, ensures that most of its residents have received the COVID-19 vaccination, she added.

Maharani gave instructions on the acceleration of vaccinations while meeting the Regional Leadership Coordination Forum (Forkopimda) of Papua province at the Papua Governor's Office in Jayapura on Saturday.

She called on officials in Papua province to expedite vaccinations to ensure the safety of Papua residents amid the pandemic.

"According to the report that I have received, vaccination coverage in Papua is still low, both for the first dose vaccination and second dose vaccination," she told the Papua Forkopimda members.

The government is targeting to administer COVID-19 vaccinations to 2,583,771 Papua residents. However, the vaccination coverage in Papua has only reached 22.62 percent for the first dose and 14.66 percent for the second dose, she noted.

As of September 30, 2021, the number of COVID-19 positive cases in Papua has reached 33,705, she said. For that reason, the Forkopimda must work harder to expedite vaccinations as an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19, she added.

"Of course, the support from all parties should be one of our commitments so that vaccinations can run well throughout Papua region," Maharani remarked//ANT