VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Jakarta. Pakistan will import Chinese Cansino Biologics COVID-19 vaccines in bulk to package 3 million doses locally, said the minister in charge for COVID operations.

“We will be getting the bulk vaccine by mid-April from Cansino, from which 3 million doses can be made,” the minister, Asad Umar said on Twitter.

The first batch of 60,000 doses of the vaccine is arriving today, he said.

Pakistan expects to receive one million doses of Sinopharm vaccine in a couple of days. (Reuters)

Jakarta. Leaders of 23 countries and the World Health Organization on Tuesday backed an idea to create an international treaty that would help deal with future health emergencies like the coronavirus pandemic by tightening rules on sharing information.

The idea of such a treaty, also aimed at ensuring universal and equitable access to vaccines, medicines and diagnostics for pandemics, was floated by the chairman of European Union leaders, Charles Michel, at a summit of the Group of 20 major economic powers last November.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has endorsed the proposal, but formal negotiations have not begun, diplomats say.

Tedros told a news conference on Tuesday that a treaty would tackle gaps exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. A draft resolution on negotiations could be presented to the WHO’s 194 member states at their annual ministerial meeting in May, he said.

The WHO has been criticised for its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and was accused by the administration of U.S. president Donald Trump of helping China shield the extent of its outbreak, which the agency denies.

A joint WHO-China study on the virus’s origins, seen by Reuters on Monday, said it had probably been transmitted from bats to humans through another animal, and that a lab leak was “extremely unlikely” as a cause. But the study left many questions unanswered and called for further research.

On Tuesday, the treaty proposal got the formal backing of the leaders of Fiji, Portugal, Romania, Britain, Rwanda, Kenya, France, Germany, Greece, Korea, Chile, Costa Rica, Albania, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, the Netherlands, Tunisia, Senegal, Spain, Norway, Serbia, Indonesia, Ukraine and the WHO itself.

“There will be other pandemics and other major health emergencies. No single government or multilateral agency can address this threat alone,” the leaders wrote in a joint opinion piece in major newspapers.

“We believe that nations should work together towards a new international treaty for pandemic preparedness and response.”

The leaders of China and the United States did not sign the letter, but Tedros said both powers had reacted positively to the proposal, and all states would be represented in talks.

The treaty would complement the WHO’s International Health Regulations, in force since 2005, through cooperation in controlling supply chains, sharing virus samples and research and development, WHO assistant director Jaouad Mahjour said. (Reuters)

Jakarta.  Vice President Ma'ruf Amin laid emphasis that acts of terrorism and the spread of radicalism are not related to religion on grounds that no religions explicitly teach or promote resorting to violence.

"Terrorism has nothing to do with religion. There is no religion that tolerates acts of terrorism, violence, killing other people, and even killing himself," Vice President Amin remarked after observing the COVID-19 vaccination in North Barito of Central Kalimantan on Tuesday.

Amin noted that the government had striven to fight radicalism and terrorism in Indonesia, including by providing understanding, education, and guidance to the community.

Furthermore, efforts are being intensified to deradicalize people exposed to radicalism.

"In fact, (radical) cells are present everywhere. Sometimes it does not appear. However, when the radical network suddenly appears, the government will continue to fight radicalism and terrorism," he affirmed.

Earlier, a suicide bomb attack took place at the Makassar Cathedral Church in South Sulawesi on Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m. local time. The bomb killed two people suspected of being the perpetrators of the attack.

The Special Detachment 88 Anti-terror Team then arrested 13 suspected terrorists in Makassar, West Nusa Tenggara, DKI Jakarta, and West Java.

Indonesian National Police Chief General Police Listyo Sigit Prabowo stated that the four suspected terrorists arrested in Makassar had links to the two suicide bombers at the Makassar Cathedral Church on Sunday.

Meanwhile, during the arrest operation in Condet of East Jakarta and Bekasi of West Java, the police arrested four terror suspects and secured evidence of five active bombs and explosive materials. (Antaranews)

Jakarta. Schools are allowed to conduct restricted direct learning in keeping with the health protocols apart from online learning, Education and Culture Minister Nadiem Anwar Makarim stated.

“Once teachers and educational practitioners in each educational institution have completely received the COVID-19 vaccine, they must conduct restricted face-to-face learning,” Makarim noted during the announcement of “Mutual Agreement of Learning Guidelines amid the COVID-19 Pandemic” here on Tuesday.

Schools have to complete the checklist before conducting restricted direct learning. Furthermore, direct learning must be combined with online learning to ensure implementation of health protocols.

“Restricted direct learning is combined with online learning, and both schedules are rotated. Parents may decide if their children are not comfortable (with one of those mediums of learning), so they can decide whether to opt for online learning or send their children to the classroom (at school),” Makarim explained.

Parents can still take the decision for their children to continue studying from home, although schools have resumed restricted direct learning, he remarked.

“The government, regional administration, regional office, and Ministry of Religious Affairs must supervise direct learning at schools,” he remarked.

If, based on supervision, there are any confirmed COVID-19 cases, the government must take over the case and suspend restricted direct learning at schools.

“The government has a policy to prevent and control the spread of COVID-19. Hence, restricted direct learning can be temporarily halted according to the time period stipulated in the policy,” Makarim revealed.

The minister cited as an example that if a region or district is implementing micro-scale activity restrictions (PPKM), then direct learning in such a region has to be temporarily suspended.

“Hence, there are some versions. We do not make face-to-face learning obligatory. However, if any students get infected by COVID-19 at schools, and we continue direct learning, then it is wrong. If there are any infections, we have closed the school for a while, and if certain regions are applying PPKM, direct learning may also be suspended. This is the most important point,” Makarim stated. (Antaranews)