VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Jakarta. Japanese health authorities are concerned that variants of the coronavirus are driving a nascent fourth wave in the pandemic with just 109 days remaining until the Tokyo Olympics.

The variants appear to be more infectious and may be resistant to vaccines, which are still not widely available in Japan. The situation is worst in Osaka, where infections hit fresh records last week, prompting the regional government to start targeted lockdown measures for one month from Monday.

A mutant COVID-19 variant first discovered in Britain has taken hold in the Osaka region, spreading faster and filling up hospital beds with more serious cases than the original virus, according to Koji Wada, a government adviser on the pandemic.

“The fourth wave is going to be larger,” said Wada, a professor at Tokyo’s International University of Health and Welfare. “We need to start to discuss how we could utilize these targeted measures for the Tokyo area.”

Japan has twice declared a state of emergency that covered most of the country in the past year, most recently just after New Year as the pandemic’s third and most deadly wave struck. Officials are now opting for more targeted measures that allow local governments to shorten business hours and impose fines for noncompliance.

Osaka city cancelled Olympic Torch relay events there, but Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has insisted Japan will carry out the Games as scheduled. Suga said on Sunday that measures employed in the Osaka area could be expanded to Tokyo and elsewhere if needed.

There were 249 new infections in Tokyo on Monday, still well below the peak of over 2,500 in January. In Osaka, the tally was 341, down from a record 666 cases on Saturday.

The true extent of the mutant cases is unknown, as only a small fraction of positive COVID-19 cases undergo the genomic study necessary to find the variants.

A health ministry report last week showed 678 cases of variants from Britain, South Africa, and Brazil had been discovered nationwide and at airports, with the biggest clusters in Osaka and nearby Hyogo prefecture.

Those three all have the N501Y mutation, and the latter two also have the E484K mutation. Authorities in Japan have found more than 1,000 cases that only have E484K.

That variant was present in about 70% of coronavirus patients tested at a Tokyo hospital last month, Japanese public broadcaster NHK said on Sunday.

The rebound in cases came within weeks of the government lifting state of emergency measures, and the priority measures being rolled out now are intended to halt an unexpected rise in mutant cases, said Makoto Shimoaraiso, a Cabinet Secretariat official for Japan’s COVID-19 response.

“We take the criticism when people say that we have not been able to detect any variants,” he said. (Reuters)

Jakarta. Singapore will next month accept visitors who use a mobile travel pass containing digital certificates for COVID-19 tests and vaccines, its aviation regulator said on Monday, becoming one of the first countries to adopt the initiative.

Singapore will accept the International Air Transport Association (IATA) mobile travel pass for pre-departure checks, where travelers can get clearance to fly to and enter Singapore by showing a smartphone application containing their data from accredited laboratories.

The pass was successfully tested by Singapore Airlines. More than 20 carriers, including Emirates, Qatar Airways and Malaysia Airlines, are also testing the pass.

“The success of our joint efforts will make IATA’s partnership with the government of Singapore a model for others to follow,” IATA director general Willie Walsh said in a statement.

Asian business hub Singapore, which has had relatively few coronavirus cases this year, has been a leader in developing and using technology during the pandemic and wants to be among the first countries to reopen to host international events.

Airlines are hoping more countries will approve digital passes on apps to allow travel to resume faster and avoid complications and delays at airports where multiple checks on documents are required.

Currently, travelers from most countries are required to take pre-departure COVID-19 swab tests within 72 hours of their flights in order to travel to Singapore, with results presented at airport check-in and on arrival. (Reuters)

Jakarta. Three people died after being swept away by flash floods that struck some areas in 23 villages of Malaka District, East Nusa Tenggara Province, on Monday.

Search and rescue workers encountered difficulties in reaching the affected villages owing to hindered access to the disaster-hit areas, according to Acting Malaka District Head Viktor Manek.

The district government is striving to evacuate those severely affected by the floods in the midst of extreme weather, sparked by Tropical Cyclone Seroja, Manek noted here on Monday.

The tropical cyclone's seeds were detected since April 2 and triggered heavy rainfall and high waves. Effects of the cyclone were felt in most areas of East Nusa Tenggara.

Apart from affecting Malaka District, this extreme weather phenomenon was also experienced by those in the districts of Flores Timur, Lembata, and Sumba Timur, as well as Kupang City.

Meanwhile, Deputy Head of Flores Timur District Agus Payong Boli had stated earlier that some 62 residents in his district lost their lives in the flash floods.

Some 56 of the 62 flood victims were the residents of Nelelalamadike Village in Ileboleng Sub-district, while six others were the residents of Wotanulumado Sub-district.

Search and rescue workers are making ongoing efforts to locate four other residents that reportedly became untraceable, Boli remarked.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) reported that apart from causing fatalities, flooding also compelled several hundred residents to seek refuge in safer places.

The agency confirmed that as of Monday at 5 a.m. local time, a total of 256 displaced residents were accommodated at Nelemawangi Village's hall.

The disaster mitigation agency confirmed that several other residents were offered shelter at the Nelelamadike Village hall.

Flash floods submerged nine villages in the sub-districts of Ile Boleng, Adonara Timur, Wotan Ulu Mado, and Adonara Barat, Flores Timur District, on Sunday.

The affected villages are Nelemadike, Nelemawangi, Waiburak, Waiwerang, Oyang Barang, Pandai, Duwanur, Waiwadan, and Daniboa.

The debris carried during the flash floods not only claimed the lives of numerous villagers but also destroyed and damaged 77 houses and led to the collapse of five bridges.

The Flores Timur disaster mitigation agency confirmed that extreme weather coupled with a shortage of backhoes had hindered its rescue and evacuation efforts. (Antaranews)

Jakarta. Indonesia's Social Affairs Ministry confirmed on Monday its disbursal of Rp2.6 billion of social aid funds to offer relief aid packages and compensation funds for flood and landslide victims in East Nusa Tenggara.

"The social aid packages will have arrived this mid-day," Director General of the Social Affairs Ministry's Protection and Social Security, Pepen Nazaruddin, stated.

The logistics resources for the relief aid were taken from the warehouses of the East Nusa Tenggara and East Java social affairs offices and through direct procurement, he remarked.

Apart from distributing the humanitarian aid packages, the ministry also disbursed compensation funds worth Rp1.140 billion to the heirs of 76 dead victims, he stated.

Each of the dead victims' heirs received Rp15 million. The ministry will additionally provide compensation funds amounting to Rp135 million to 27 seriously wounded survivors.

Over these past 48 hours, the residents of East Nusa Tenggara have borne witness to the impacts of extreme weather triggered by Tropical Cyclone Seroja.

Three residents of Malaka District, for instance, reportedly died after being swept away by flash floods hitting certain areas in 23 villages on Monday.

Search and rescue workers encountered difficulties in reaching the affected villages owing to hindered access to the disaster areas, according to Acting Malaka District Head Viktor Manek.

The tropical cyclone's seeds were detected since April 2, and sparked torrential rains and high waves. Most of East Nusa Tenggara's areas got impacted by the cyclone.

Apart from affecting Malaka District, this extreme weather phenomenon was also experienced by those in the districts of Flores Timur, Lembata, and Sumba Timur, as well as Kupang City.

Meanwhile, Deputy Head of Flores Timur District Agus Payong Boli stated earlier that some 62 residents in his district died in the flash floods.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) reported that apart from causing fatalities, the floods also compelled several hundred residents to seek refuge in safer places.

Flash floods submerged nine villages in the sub-districts of Ile Boleng, Adonara Timur, Wotan Ulu Mado, and Adonara Barat, Flores Timur District, on Sunday.

The affected villages are Nelemadike, Nelemawangi, Waiburak, Waiwerang, Oyang Barang, Pandai, Duwanur, Waiwadan, and Daniboa.

The debris carried during the flash floods not only claimed the lives of numerous villagers but also destroyed and damaged 77 houses and led to the collapse of five bridges.

The Flores Timur disaster mitigation agency confirmed that extreme weather coupled with a shortage of backhoes had hindered its rescue and evacuation efforts. (Antaranews)