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17
July

An officer inspects oxygen cylinders unloaded from a Singapore warship on Wednesday (July 14, 2021). (ANTARA/Hiro) - 

Indonesia received vaccines, oxygen cylinders, and medical equipment from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Singapore on Friday to help handle the recent spike in COVID-19 cases in the country, an official stated.

The assistance from UAE, which arrived in Indonesia early on Friday, comprised 250 thousand Sinopharm vaccines, 450 units of 40-liter oxygen cylinders, and 150 portable oxygen concentrators, the Indonesian Foreign Ministry said in a written statement on Friday.

In addition, the UAE also sent 20 tons of medical safety gear, including personal protective equipment, face masks, and gloves to Indonesia.

On Wednesday (July 14, 2021), Indonesia received 250 units of 50-liter oxygen cylinders, two ISO tanks, 570 oxygen concentrators, 600 nasal cannula, and 600 bubble humidifiers from Singapore.

The assistance was the second of its kind dispatched by Singapore to Indonesia in the past week.

On July 9, 2021, Singapore had sent 200 ventilators, 256 units of 50-liter oxygen cylinders, and other health equipment to Indonesia.

The Indonesian government, through the Foreign Ministry, thanked the UAE and Singapore for the assistance amid a surge in COVID-19 infections in the country due to the spread of the highly transmissible Delta variant of the coronavirus.

Indonesia reported 56,757 fresh COVID-19 cases as of July 15, 2021, bringing the total tally to 2,726,803. Meanwhile, the total number of deaths due to the virus reached 70,192//ANT

17
July

A screenshot of secretary of the Fatwa Commission of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), Asrorun Ni'am Sholeh, in Jakarta, Friday (July 16, 2021). (ANTARA/Hreeloita Dharma Shanti/ak) - 

 

Worshippers must comply with the COVID-19 health protocols while observing Eid al-Adha, secretary of the Fatwa Commission of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), Asrorun Ni'am Sholeh, has said.

"The COVID-19 outbreak will not prevent people from worshiping. The implementation of Eid al-Adha must be adapted to the latest situation and conditions," he urged in Jakarta on Friday.

Muslims have an obligation to continue to perform religious activities as part of upholding their religion, Sholeh explained.

However, they must ensure their own safety as well as the safety of others, he stressed.

"With the government establishing the emergency public activity restrictions (PPKM) in Java, Bali and several cities in Indonesia, the implementation of worship activities must be adjusted," he said.

The takbiran, which involves chanting Allahu Akbar (God is great), is traditionally held on the eve of Eid al-Adha at mosques and on the streets, with attendance reaching tens to hundreds of people, he noted.

During the emergency PPKM, the takbiran will need to be carried out at home or in private areas to prevent transmission of COVID-19, Sholeh said.

Eid al-Adha prayers can be performed at home in congregation with family members or individually, he added.

Residents who wish to perform qurban (animal sacrifice) for Eid-al-Adha can visit slaughterhouses (RPH) to avoid crowds during the ritual, he suggested.

"People should optimize the qurban meat distribution for the benefit of our brothers and sisters who really need it, especially those who are in self-isolation," he said.

Meanwhile, Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas has asked Indonesians to temporarily worship from home to minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission.

"The daily number of positive COVID-19 cases is still increasing. For the time being, let us reduce mobility, be patient, and stay at home. For the time being, we will carry out worship at home," he said in a press release issued by the Ministry of Religious Affairs in Jakarta on Friday.

Houses of worship in emergency community activity restrictions (PPKM) zones and high (red) and medium (orange) COVID-19 transmission risk zones will need to be temporarily closed to prevent crowding, which can increase the risk of coronavirus spread, Qoumas had earlier explained.

"Public worship activities in the emergency PPKM zones as well as the red and orange zones outside the emergency PPKM (zones) will need to continue to be carried out at home," he said.

The minister also asked citizens to comply with government regulations that are aimed at suppressing the transmission of COVID-19.

"Let us work from home and worship from home. Limiting mobility out of the house is part of a joint effort to break the chain of spread of COVID-19," he said.

Minister Qoumas also invited the public to take advantage of the emergency PPKM period to increase worship.

The government has imposed emergency PPKM in the Java and Bali regions from July 3 to July 20, 2021//ANT

17
July

The word "COVID-19" is reflected in a drop on a syringe needle in this illustration taken November 9, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration - 

 

 

The Delta variant of COVID-19 is now the dominant strain worldwide, accompanied by a surge of deaths around the United States almost entirely among unvaccinated people, US officials said on Friday (Jul 16).

US cases of COVID-19 are up 70 per cent over the previous week and deaths are up 26 per cent, with outbreaks occurring in parts of the country with low vaccination rates, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said during a press briefing.

The seven-day-average number of daily cases is now more than 26,000, more than twice its June low of around 11,000 cases, according to CDC data.

The starkest uptick in cases has occurred in Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Missouri and Nevada, said White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients. All those states have below-average vaccination rates.

"This is becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated," Walensky said, adding that 97 per cent of people entering hospitals in the United States with COVID-19 are unvaccinated.

She said an increasing number of counties around the United States now exhibit a high risk of COVID-19 transmission, reversing significant declines in transmission risk in recent months.

Around 1 in five new cases have occurred in Florida, Zients said.

The Delta variant, which is significantly more contagious than the original variant of COVID-19, has been detected around 100 countries globally and is now the dominant variant worldwide, top US infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said.

"We are dealing with a formidable variant" of COVID-19, Fauci said during the call.

Walensky urged unvaccinated Americans to get COVID-19 shots, and said Pfizer's and Moderna's vaccines have proven to be especially effective against the Delta variant.

She said people should get the second dose of vaccine even if they have passed the recommended window of time for receiving it.

Around 5 million people have been vaccinated in the United States in the past 10 days, Zients said, including many in states that so far have had lower vaccination rates.

"In the past week, the five states with the highest case rates - Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Missouri and Nevada - had a higher rate of people getting newly vaccinated," he said.

Delta outbreaks may be boosting demand for vaccinations in harder-hit states, Michael Newshel, a healthcare analyst at Evercore ISI, said in a note to clients. He added that residents of Utah and California are also seeking shots at an accelerated pace.

Zients added that the United States has enough vaccines on hand to give booster vaccines but is still working to determine if boosters are needed//CNA

17
July

Indonesia's external debt (ULN) declined 0.6 percent in May, 2021 compared to April, 2020, led by a narrowing of the government's external debt position. (ANTARA PHOTO/Sigid Kurniawan/ama/ak) - 

Indonesia's external debt (ULN) declined 0.6 percent to US$415 billion in May, 2021 from US$417.6 billion in April, 2020, led by a narrowing of the government's external debt position, Bank Indonesia (BI) has said.

However, on an annual basis, Indonesia's external debt in May, 2021 swelled 3.1 percent, which was lower than the growth of 4.9 percent recorded in the previous month, it added.

"Indonesia's external debt structure in May, 2021 remained under control, as reflected in the ratio of Indonesia's external debt to gross domestic product (GDP), which was maintained at around 37.6 percent, a decrease compared to the ratio in the previous month of 37.9 percent," BI's communication department head, Erwin Haryono, informed in a statement released in Jakarta on Friday.

Indonesia's external debt structure remains healthy and is supported by the application of prudential principles, as demonstrated by the dominance of long-term debt, which accounts for 88.5 percent of the total foreign debt, he said. .

To maintain a healthy external debt structure, the central bank and the government will continue to strengthen coordination in monitoring its development, supported by the application of prudential principles in its management, he added.

The role of external debt will also continue to be optimized in supporting development financing and encouraging the National Economic Recovery (PEN) program by minimizing risks that can affect economic stability, Haryono said.

The position of the government's external debt in May, 2021 was recorded at US$203.4 billion, down 1.3 percent compared to April, 2021, he informed.

"The position prompted a slowdown in the government's annual external debt growth to 5.9 percent in May, 2021 compared to 8.6 percent in April, 2021. The decline in the government's external debt position was in line with the falling payments of government securities (SBN) and loan in foreign currency, which was due in May, 2021," he said.

The government is committed to maintaining credibility by fulfilling debt obligations in a timely manner, as well as managing external debt in a prudent, credible, and accountable manner, so that the withdrawal of government external debt in May, 2021 will continue to be prioritized to support priority spending, including efforts to handle COVID-19 and the national economic recovery (PEN) program, Haryono said.

Expenditure will focus on the government administration, defense, and compulsory social security sector (17.8 percent of the total government external debt), the health services and social activities sector (17.2 percent), the education services sector (16.3 percent), the construction sector (15.4 percent), and the financial services and insurance sector (12.6 percent), he added.

"The position of the government's external debt is relatively safe and under control considering that almost all of it is long-term external debt, with a share of 99.99 percent of the government's total external debt," Haryono remarked//ANT