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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

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 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.

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

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

Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin. (ANTARA/Martha Herlinawati Simanjuntak) - 

Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin has confirmed that at least two thousand additional beds have been prepared at several hospitals in Jakarta for moderately symptomatic COVID-19 patients.

“So, in total it is estimated to be two thousand additional beds prepared for patients categorized as moderately symptomatic with COVID-19,” Sadikin said at an online press conference after attending a limited meeting here on Friday.

As many as one thousand additional beds have been made available at Wisma Haji Pondok Gede, Jakarta, comprising 900 general beds and 100 beds for the intensive care unit, he informed.

Another 300-500 beds have been added at Pertaminal Central Hospital and 300 beds at Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, he said.

Apart from adding beds, the ministry is also working with the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry to build field hospitals in some regions, Sadikin disclosed.

Locations have been identified for building field hospitals in Bandung, West Java and Central Java, he said.

“We have visited Bandung and Central Java and have identified some sites for building field hospitals that will provide beds if needed. The team continues to go to Surabaya for identifying its potential if needed for additional bed provision,” he added//ANT