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Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin - 

President Joko Widodo has directed local governments, the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI), and the Indonesian Police (Polri) to use up 19 million COVID-19 vaccine doses kept as reserve immediately, the Health Minister said.

"He understands that vaccine stocks are being held in the regions as second jab reserves at 19 million. He has instructed that they be used up immediately because more vaccines are arriving," Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said at an online press conference following a limited cabinet meeting chaired by the President here on Friday.

The vaccine stocks in the regions totaled 75 million doses previously, of which 56 million doses were administered to 40 million people, Sadikin informed. The remaining 19 million doses were planned to be used to administer the second shots, he added.

By the end of August, 2021, it is estimated that Indonesia will receive 30 million additional vaccine doses, he said.

The availability of sufficient COVID-19 vaccines is crucial as the President has ordered that vaccinations be expanded to cover two million people per day, he added.

"The President's directive is that all regional governments, the TNI, Polri immediately use this stock of 19 million doses," Sadikin said.

Since mid-June, 2021, Indonesia has been battling a drastic spike in COVID-19 cases following the spread of the Delta variant in the world's fourth most populous nation of over 270 million people.

The Task Force for COVID-19 Handling on Friday recorded 56,757 daily cases, bringing the tally to 2,726,803. With 982 Indonesians succumbing to the virus in a single day, the death toll reached 70,192.

As of July 15, 2021, a total of 15.8 million Indonesians have received both doses of COVID-19 vaccines, while 39.6 million others have received their first shots, mostly of the Sinovac vaccine bought from China, under the vaccination drive being conducted since January 13, 2021, it said.

Indonesia has also begun to receive other vaccines, including 14.7 million AstraZeneca doses, donated by Japan and supplied through the COVAX facility; 3 million Moderna vaccines, donated by the US this July; and, Sinopharm vaccines, partly donated by the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The remainder have been bought by the country's private sector to support the government's vaccination program, the task force said//ANT

Sydney's 5 million residents are currently in lockdown. (Photo: AFP/Saeed Khan) - 

The Australian city of Sydney on Saturday (Jul 17) ordered a shutdown of building sites, banned non-essential retail and threatened fines for employers who make staff come into the office as new COVID-19 cases kept rising three weeks into a citywide lockdown.

Authorities in New South Wales state, of which Sydney is the capital, also banned hundreds of thousands of people in the city's western suburbs – the worst affected area – from leaving their immediate neighbourhoods for work, as they recorded 111 new cases in the prior 24 hours, up from 97 the day before.

"I can't remember a time when our state has been challenged to such an extent," New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian told a televised news conference.

The city of 5 million people, Australia's largest, has been under lockdown since Jun 26, with a planned end date of Jul 30, after an airport transit driver brought the virus into the community and sparked an outbreak of the highly infectious variant, according to the authorities.

More than 1,000 people in the city and surrounding districts have since tested positive. Of most concern to health leaders is the number of infectious people who were active in the community before they tested positive, with 29 reported on Saturday, in line with previous days.

"We are chasing our tail in terms of the cases," state Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said at the news conference.

New South Wales Police Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys said the "tempo of the police response will increase" across Greater Sydney and regional areas.

People who lived in three of Sydney's local government districts - with a total population of 612,000 - were banned from leaving their district for work unless they were emergency workers. The city already has a work-from-home directive for businesses, but employers who told staff to attend the office could be fined A$10,000 (US$7,402).

Neighbouring Victoria state also reported a jump in daily COVID-19 cases to 19, from six the previous day, raising fears it may extend a short lockdown that was scheduled to end on Tuesday.

Victoria and Greater Sydney have a combined population of about 12 million people, meaning nearly half of Australia's population is under some form of lockdown.

All but one of the new cases in Victoria was active in the community before diagnosis, but every case was linked to a known chain of transmission, Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley said.

Australia avoided the high infection and fatality numbers of many other countries in the initial stages of the pandemic due to an assertive response that included closing borders, stay-home orders and economic stimulus measures.

But 18 months on, the federal government faces criticism over its sluggish vaccine roll-out. More than 10 per cent of Australia's 25 million people are fully vaccinated, according to government data, a fraction of the rates in the United States and Britain.

Even so, Australia's death rate from COVID-19, about 900 deaths out of about 31,500 cases, is still low by comparison.

The Australian economy had surged back to life after dipping into recession last year, but the latest lockdowns and state border closures threaten to tip it back into negative growth. No other states reported additional cases on Saturday//CNA

Tourist village - 

Tourist villages are a symbol of Indonesia’s economic revival since their development would have positive impacts on the welfare of local communities, Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno stated. 

“The recent tourism trend has shown that tourist village is Indonesia’s tourism future and the symbol of our economic revival,” Uno remarked during an online technical guidance and workshop of the 2021 Indonesian Tourism Village Award (ADWI) here on Friday.

The ministry will fully support the development of tourism villages since it creates jobs and offers economic benefits to the public amid the pandemic, according to the minister.

“We will work all out at the ministry to promote tourist villages since they can create as many jobs as possible and will be impartial and fair to people of the lower middle class segment currently seeking economic benefits amid the pandemic,” he stressed.

He also urged stakeholders to play an important role in collaborating with each other in the 3C framework -- competence, commitment, and champions -- as well as to create programs that are right on target, right on benefit, and on time.

Uno emphasized that the ministry will expedite potential development of tourism villages in collaboration with villages, development of disadvantaged regions and transmigration ministry as well as other ministries and institutions.

“Thus, we can realize a prosperous and just Indonesia. It is not Indonesia that builds the villages, but villages that build Indonesia. This our joint efforts to preserve the potential cultures and local wisdom values,” Jakarta’s former deputy governor stated.

At a similar event, the ministry’s deputy of destination and infrastructure development Vinsesius Jemadu noted that one of the government’s efforts to realize qualified, competitive, and sustainable development of tourist villages is by holding the 2021 ADWI.

The 2021 ADWI aims at designating tourist villages as world-class, competitive, and sustainable tourist destinations that are able to boost local development, people’s welfare, and tourism promotion events to either local or international travelers.

“We expect that the ADWI can encourage industrial players of the tourism and creative economy sector to develop tourist villages to support a strong, resilient, and resurgent economy,” Jemadu affirmed.

Apart from the 2021 ADWI, in a bid to demonstrate the government’s commitment in developing tourist villages, it has run a certification program on sustainable tourist village under which 60 tourist villages will receive certification this year//ANT

Police chief, General Listyo Sigit Prabowo, and Army Commander, Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto, distribute basic food assistance to residents in Turangga village, Lengkong, Bandung, West Java on Friday (July 16, 2021). (ANTARA/HO-Public Relations Division of the Indonesian National Police) - 

Chief of National Police, General Listyo Sigit Prabowo, has asked all ranks to accelerate the distribution of social assistance among COVID-affected people during the imposition of emergency restrictions on community activities (PPKM).

He conveyed his instructions during a working visit with  Chief of the National Defence Forces (TNI)  Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto, to the Micro PPKM Command Post in West Java on Friday.

"During this emergency PPKM, please help the community. Collect data and distribute assistance immediately. Give the best service to the community," said Prabowo, according to a written statement released by the National Police Public Relations Division.

He said his instructions on social aid applied to all ranks of the military and police in the regions, adding that he hoped the assistance would ease the burden on the community amid a spike in COVID-19 transmission.

He said he hoped people would use the government assistance properly to meet their daily needs so they would not have to venture out of their homes during the imposition of the emergency PPKM.

"This is assistance from the government delivered by the military and police. Hopefully, this assistance can be used optimally. And we urge the public not to leave the house during emergency PPKM," he added.

During Friday's visit, Prabowo and Tjahjanto distributed assistance among the community and observed mass vaccinations at the Arcamanik Youth Center, Bandung, West Java. The vaccination activity targeted 4,500 people.

"The military and police are coordinating with local governments in determining vaccination targets for the red zones. The President has asked us to inspect areas that have not been vaccinated," Prabowo informed.

During their visit, Prabowo and Tjahjanto also visited slum areas and distributed food packages to residents affected by the pandemic in the areas.

Earlier, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment. Luhut Binsar Panjaitan, said that President Joko Widodo has ordered his staff to ensure that people's basic needs are met amid the pandemic.

Hence, the military and police have been asked to distribute rice to the community, starting Wednesday this week, he added.

The minister, who is also deputy chair of the Committee for Handling COVID-19 and National Economic Recovery (PEN), said that military and police officers will distribute the rice aid to all eligible residents.

The government has also distributed 300 thousand packages of COVID-19 therapeutic medicines to asymptomatic and mild symptomatic patients, starting Wednesday this week, he further informed.

Panjaitan said the medicine packages would reach 210 thousand COVID-19 patients and military officers will be involved in their distribution//ANT