VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Jakarta. Hidayatullah Muttaqin, a member of the Lampung Mangkurat University Expert Team for the COVID-19 Handling, said to keep growing the number of PCR tests for COVID-19 because new positive cases have not yet sloped down.

"The number of national PCR tests only 1.62 million people or reached 6,019 tests per one million population. This is very low if you see the trend of increasing positive cases," he said in Banjarmasin, on Friday.

Hidayatullah said the low growth of new COVID-19 cases in parts of Indonesia, including the reduced number of areas with red zone status, may be related to the low ratio of PCR tests.

This means that the growth of new cases has the potential not to reflect the growth of real cases. For this reason, increasing the number of PCR tests massively is needed to detect residents infected with COVID-19.

As of September 16, there were over 770,000 people who had undergone PCR tests, so that the test ratio had reached 72,864 per one million people.

"The massive number of tests in Jakarta is the reason why the COVID-19 in Jakarta is higher than in other areas in Indonesia. This is the right step and should be emulated by other regions," he said.

"It is time for local governments to take an open stance in their efforts to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic. Because it is getting more closed, especially allergies with the addition of new cases through massive testing, it becomes a time bomb that becomes a big threat in the future," he said.

"Besides a strict application of health protocols, population mobility control policies are very important to break the chain of transmission of COVID-19," he said. (Antaranews)

Indonesia's daily Covid-19 cases is sitting at 3,000 and above.

After previously re-setting a record on Wednesday with 3,963 cases, the country noted 3,635 cases on Thursday, the highest since the first Covid-19 case on March 2.

This figure exceeds the previous highest figure on Sept. 10, 2020 which noted 3,861 cases.

The Covid-19 Task Force updated the tally through its official website. The data revealed the total confirmed cases is 232,628. There are 56,720 active cases, or 24.4% of the total.

As many as 166,686 or 71.7% are recovery cases, and 9,222 or 4.0% are death cases. (RRI)

Worldwide coronavirus cases hit 30 million as of Thursday, according to a tally at US-based Johns Hopkins University.

The number of COVID-19 deaths was recorded at 943,203, with patients recovering over 20.39 million.

The United States remains the country worst-hit by COVID-19, with 6.66 million infections, while the total US deaths have passed 197,500.

India overtook the US by reporting 5.11 million cases of COVID-19, the second-highest in the world.

Brazil, which has the highest number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in Latin America, became the third country in the world to confirm 4.41 million infections.

Russia, Peru, and Colombia trailing the three countries.

China, which is the source of the coronavirus, registered 90,262 cases of COVID-19, including 4,736 deaths and 85,174 recovered patients.

The coronavirus has rocked at least 188 countries and regions since it first emerged last December. (Antaranews via Anadolu)

Jakarta. Presidential spokesman Fadjroel Rachman said that the state had agreed and prepared a material and immaterial compensation fund for terrorism victims.

"Through the Witness and Victim Protection Agency, terrorism victims can apply for compensation for death," Fadjroel said in Jakarta, Friday.

He conveyed that the Finance Ministry had approved the budget at the request of the Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK). Its implementation will see accountability, effectiveness, efficiency, and taking into account the sense of justice and appropriateness. 

The budget determination comes into effect since July 7, 2020 when President Joko Widodo signed the Government Regulation No. 35 of 2020 about Providing Compensation, Restitution, and Assistance to Witnesses and Victims.

The regulation also stated that the state covers any real losses suffered by each victim including compensation, medical assistance, and psychological.

To get the compensation, victims of criminal acts of terrorism, their families, or their heirs can submit through the LPSK.

"President Joko Widodo carries out his constitutional democratic obligations to protect the entire Indonesian nation, from the COVID-19 pandemic, victims of terrorism, to victims of human rights violations. Salus populi suprema lex esto. People's safety is the highest law," he said. (Antaranews)