VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Indonesian government has issued a quick response in the face of the new variant of Covid-19, Omicron which is now spreading in various parts of the world.

Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Panjaitan said at an online press conference in Jakarta on Sunday (28/11) that the variant contains 50 mutations that affect the speed of transmission and its ability to evade antibodies. With so many mutations, World Health Organization -WHO has upgraded the status of the variant to a variant of concern.

Citing the ANTARA news agency, to date, 13 countries have announced the presence of the Omicron variant which was initially detected in South Africa and Botswana. Omicron is also  found  in Germany, Belgium, England, Israel, Australia and Hong Kong.

The Indonesian government immediately implemented the policy that took effect as soon as it was announced namely, firstly by prohibiting entry of foreigners who have a history of traveling for 14 days to countries, such as South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mozambique, Eswatini, Malawi, Angola, Zambia and Hong Kong. Second, Indonesian citizens who return to Indonesia and have a travel history from the countries in the first point will be quarantined for 14 days. Third, the government will increase the quarantine time for foreigners and Indonesian citizens traveling from abroad outside the eleven countries listed, to 7 days from the previous 3 days. Finally, this quarantine policy is enforced starting Monday morning (29/11).

The Government of Indonesia's quick response needs to be appreciated. Given the distribution of this Omicron variant, one cannot rule out the possibility that it has already spread to more countries.

Minister Luhut Panjaitan reminded that although Indonesia has handled the Covid-19 case to the maximum and the spread of cases has begun to be controlled, the public should not be careless. Control efforts must continue to be encouraged by continuing to implement and improve health protocols and accelerate vaccination.

Most importantly, people do not need to panic in response to this new variant, but remain vigilant. The government needs to increase cooperation with the international community in observing the development of the Omicron variant. Meanwhile, strict supervision of health protocols, such as washing hands, wearing masks, maintaining distance, staying away from crowds, and reducing mobility must continue.