VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Jakarta. The COVID-19 Handling Task Force (Satgas COVID-19) stressed on the significance of adhering to health protocols during any religious or social activity to safeguard people from the potential spread of COVID-19.

"Hence, I urge the community and local religious leaders to comply with and support the campaign for health protocols during the enforcement of micro-scale activity restrictions (micro-scale PPKM) in their areas," spokesperson for Satgas COVID-19 Prof. Wiku Adisasmito noted in a written statement on Wednesday.

Adisasmito remarked that community discipline significantly contributed to the control efforts undertaken by the government. If the health protocols were disregarded, then the COVID-19 pandemic would become difficult to suppress.

In addition to campaigning for health protocols, the government has implemented micro-scale PPKM to reduce the spread of COVID-19 by limiting community mobility through command posts (posko) at the village and sub-district levels that coordinate with health facilities.

The post aims to take strategic steps if a community is infected with COVID-19. The presence of the post is also deemed vital in ensuring micro-level containment of COVID-19 cases.

"Hence, I urge the local government, regional task forces, and the community to work together to maximize the role of the post, so that it can be effective in preventing COVID-19 cases," Adisasmito noted.

Earlier, he pointed to the trend in new COVID-19 cases in the past week in Indonesia at 11.9 percent, lower than the previous week. However, the death rate this week had decreased 34.1 percent.

"The handling of COVID-19 this week deserves to be lauded. The trend in new cases has decreased, and the figure tends to have shrunk as compared to last week," Adisasmito remarked. (Antaranews)

Jakarta. Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati is sanguine that the COVID-19 vaccination conducted for workers in the banking and capital market would bolster the industry's confidence in the prospects of economic recovery.

"I am optimistic that all officers in banking sector, non-banking, or capital market would have the confidence because it will drive efforts to achieve economic recovery," Indrawati stated on the sidelines of vaccination for financial workers at the Indonesia Stock Exchange (BEI) building here on Wednesday.

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) observed the vaccination for financial workers.

The minister remarked that the government's COVID-19 vaccination program had also prioritized workers in the banking and capital market sector, such as those in customer service and bank tellers, who directly interact with the public.

The vaccination is expected to facilitate recovery of activities in the banking and capital market sector.

COVID-19 vaccination for officers in the financial sector is aimed at accelerating economic recovery.

"This is part of the president's concern to bring about a recovery in economic activities," she stated.

In addition to the BEI building, vaccination is conducted at four other locations of financial centers.

Indonesia has targeted economic growth in 2021 to rebound to a range of between 4.5 and 5.5 percent (year-on-year) after having contracted 2.07 percent in 2020.

The government has optimized public health recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic to achieve the target of economic growth. (Antaranews)

Jakarta. Mount Ili Lewotolok produced 19 eruptions on Tuesday, according to the Ili Lewotolok Volcano Monitoring Post in Lembata District, East Nusa Tenggara Province.

The eruptions produced hot cloud reaching a height of between 300 meters and 400 meters, Head of the Mount Ili Lewotolok Monitoring Post Stanis Ara Kian noted in a statement here on Wednesday.

"Yesterday, there were quite a lot of eruptions in a day. The number of daily eruptions fluctuates," he remarked.

The eruptions were accompanied by booms and roars with a burst of incandescent lava reaching 500 meters and extending as far as 500 meters to the southeast.

The duration of the eruptions ranged only from 17.5 to 45 seconds.

Kian noted that the mountain was still on alert status or Level III declared since December 2020.

The Monitoring Post recommends that the community around Ili Lewotolok as well as visitors, including climbers and tourists, not conduct activities within a three-kilometer radius of the summit of Mount Ili Lewotolok.

The villagers of Jontona are advised to stay alert to possible hazardous volcanic materials and to wear face masks to prevent respiratory problems (ISPA) caused by volcanic ash. (Antaranews)

Jakarta. President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo (Jokowi) witnessed the mass vaccinations conducted for banking and capital market industry players at the Indonesia Stock Exchange Building (BEI), Jakarta, on Wednesday.

"This morning, we are vaccinating 'on a large scale' those working in the banking and capital market, especially those dealing with customers and the public every day, including customer service officers and tellers, who also serve the community," President Jokowi stated in the company of Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin, Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Financial Services Authority, Wimboh Santoso, and leaders of the financial industry.

President Jokowi expounded that banking and capital market officers interacting directly with customers on a daily basis will be accorded priority to be administered the COVID-19 vaccine.

With the COVID-19 vaccination administered to officers in the financial services industry, President Jokowi is optimistic that financial sector activities would quickly recover and operate normally and safely.

"With this effort, we are optimistic of being protected from contracting and being exposed to COVID-19 while conducting activities in the capital market and banking. We hope that everything would run normally after being vaccinated,” he stated.

The head of state highlighted the importance of the banking industry and the capital market in driving the economy.

This especially becomes increasingly crucial at this time, when the contribution of banks and the capital market is direly needed to accelerate the recovery of the domestic economy.

"We know that the drivers of our national economy are consumption, investment, export, and import. Banking, the capital market, are very important for driving our economy," President Jokowi affirmed.

Apart from the Indonesia Stock Exchange Building in Jakarta, mass vaccinations for banking and capital market officers were also conducted in four other central locations for financial activities.

Indonesia is targeting economic growth this year in the range of 4.5-5.5 percent year-on-year (yoy) or reversing from a contraction of economic growth of minus 2.07 percent in 2020.

To drive economic growth this year, the government is working to restore public health in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on data from the Task Force for Handling COVID-19, until March 30, 2021, the government had administered the COVID-19 vaccine to 7.7 million people. (Antaranews)