VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has distributed 349,000 pieces of protective equipment (APD) to health workers dealing with COVID-19 cases in hospitals. As quoted by Antara News Agency, government spokesperson for COVID-19 handling, Achmad Yurianto, at a press conference on Wednesday in Jakarta stated as many as 349,000 protective equipment have been distributed to meet the needs of health workers who are at the forefront of handling COVID-19.  Yurianto explained 360 referral hospitals have been prepared by the government for handling patients under close monitoring (PDP), or COVID-19 positive patients.The hospitals belong to the military, the national police, State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs), or are privately owned. He said it is government  joint commitment. This is a serious problem that must be addressed in an integrated way by all parties. Currently, It is not less than 5,000 health workers have been deployed to break the chain of COVID-19 transmission.Ant.==

English football's major stakeholders will meet on Friday to discuss their options to rescue a season derailed by the coronavirus outbreak. The Premier League campaign has been postponed until at least April 30 because of the pandemic, but the chances of a return in May look bleak. As quoted by AFP.com (31/3) ,  AFP Sport takes a closer look at the various scenarios that are likely to be considered in the talks over if and how to finish the season. One option is for clubs to converge on a neutral location in which all remaining games are played behind closed doors, with only essential personnel and broadcasters allowed to attend.There is believed to be growing support among clubs for this plan, with nine rounds of matches potentially in line to be staged in June and July//AFP

Harsh lockdowns aimed at halting the march of the coronavirus pandemic extended worldwide Monday as the death toll soared past 37,500 amid new waves of US outbreaks. Despite slivers of hope in stricken Italy and Spain, the tough measures that have confined some two-fifths of the globe's population to their homes were broadened. As quoted by AFP.com (31/3), Moscow and Lagos joined the roll call of cities around the world with empty streets, while Virginia and Maryland became the latest US states to announce stay-at-home orders, followed quickly by Washington DC, leaving three-quarters of Americans under some form of lockdown. A US military medical ship steamed into New York, where it will relieve pressure on the city's badly stretched health system. A field hospital set up in Central Park was due to go online later Tuesday. The scale and speed of the US pandemic continued to expand, with the death toll topping 3,000 out of 163,000 known infections -- the highest case count for any country. President Donald Trump sought to reassure Americans that authorities were ramping up distribution of desperately needed equipment such as ventilators and personal protective gear. The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases around the world is now above three-quarters of a million, with around 37,000 deaths.The toll on health systems is staggering, with medical professionals under enormous strain//AFP

President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin discussed plunging oil prices and the coronavirus pandemic Monday, as Trump said Moscow is pressing for an end to US sanctions. As quoted by AFP.com (30/3) the White House said in a separate statement Trump and Putin had "agreed to work closely together through the G20" against the virus and the economic shock resulting from travel bans and social distancing. Both statements reported that the oil market turmoil was discussed, with the White House version stating agreement on the "importance of stability in global energy markets. Earlier, Trump had said he was going to use the call to raise objections over a Russian-Saudi price war driving down world oil prices and "really hurting" the US energy industry//AFP