VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

 Some 44 percent of the cities and districts throughout Indonesia have become low-risk zones and are safe from COVID-19, Chief of the National Task Force for the Acceleration of COVID-19 Handling, Doni Monardo, confirmed.

"We got the result for now that 44 percent of the total 514 cities or districts nationwide are under the COVID-19 status of low risk and safe, marked by the yellow and green colors," Monardo noted while delivering an explanation to President Joko Widodo at the BNPB Building in Jakarta, Wednesday.

Monardo affirmed that it was a commendable momentum that shall be sustained. Even as some other areas still record a high rate of infection, cooperation between central and regional governments is expected to soon curtail the figure.

"Some areas are showing an increase (in the infection rate), but we are certain that the central and local governments have currently segregated the tasks at hand quite efficiently. Moreover, we monitor regional development in accordance with the president's order," Monardo remarked.

The national task force chief expounded that cooperation encompasses even the smallest scope of the local neighborhood to alter public behavior in order to create awareness to comply with the health protocols.

"If we could change our behavior, adopting precautionary measures would be the best step forward, and as the president and health minister said that hospitals are only for patients exhibiting grave symptoms," Monardo reiterated.

As Indonesia is currently transitioning to the new normal era, the Task Force is conducting the COVID-19 handling program in a step-wise manner to safeguard people from the health and economic impacts of the pandemic.(ANTARA)

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has laid emphasis on the significance of routinely assessing the implementation of a new normal that necessitates the application of stringent health protocols.

"We need to conduct routine evaluation even in a region that showed a decline in the number of new cases. Do not be caught off-guard due to the dynamic situation on the field," Jokowi remarked during his visit to the office of the Task Force of Acceleration of COVID-19 Handling in Jakarta on Wednesday.

The success in curbing COVID-19 transmission is determined by the discipline maintained and followed in implementing health protocols, he pointed out.

The head of state noted that strict social restrictions will be re-imposed in the event of a region registering a rise in the number of new cases.

"We will directly close or re-impose strict restrictions," Jokowi emphasized.

The head of state urged the public to remain upbeat about the pandemic being handled effectively and people eventually returning to their routine activities.

To this end, all parties are called to remain alert and conduct their respective tasks.

Jokowi has also appealed to central and local governments to bolster coordination and consolidation that also involved all societal elements.

"We should work hand-in-hand to handle this major issue," the head of state remarked.

Jokowi had earlier urged Indonesians and businesses entities, in particular, to prepare to coexist with COVID-19 that would necessitate a new normal of social distancing and observance of health protocols.

The president affirmed that for the country fighting the pandemic since early March this year, finding ways to coexist with COVID-19 would not entail giving up the fight against the deadly virus.

In its place, it would involve conducting normal activities in a peaceful, safe, productive, and comfortable manner by adhering to the new health protocols to safeguard against the spread of coronavirus since currently, vaccines had yet to be developed against the infection. (ANTARA)

Indonesia has contributed in pioneering a joint statement by global leaders on the critical role of a sustainable marine economy following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Edhy Prabowo noted in a statement received here, Jakarta, Wednesday that the joint statement was a reminder to world leaders on the significance of maintaining sustainability of the sea for the future of the generations amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Leaders of pioneering nations had agreed on the joint statement, and it was simultaneously published during the commemoration of the 12th World Sea Day on June 8, 2020.

A total of 14 leaders, including from Norway, Ghana, Mexico, Chile, Japan, and Indonesia's own President Joko Widodo, form the High Level Panel for A Sustainable Ocean Economy.

"Indonesia's participation in the joint statement confirmed its active role and leadership for championing a resolution to maritime and fishery issues amid the struggles of countries in the world against COVID-19," the minister stated.

In the joint statement, world leaders, including from Indonesia, were on the same page to advance the economic values of sustainable ocean, effective protection, sustainable production, and equitable welfare, as the sea is believed to serve as a solution to a more resilient and prosperous world.

The statement also highlighted that the sea is the foundation of the global economy, as it is estimated to contribute over US$2.5 trillion annually in added value services as a source of food and income for over three billion people globally while concurrently accommodating the transportation of some 90 percent of the global trade.

The sea is viewed as being a source of renewable energy and the key aspect in combating diseases, so investment in a sustainable marine economy is an agreement that is beneficial for the global economy, marine sustainability, and public welfare. (ANTARA)

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) received letters of credentials from seven new extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassadors (LBBP) respectively from Guatemala, Egypt, Cuba, Qatar, Mauritania, Brazil, and the United Arab Emirates.

The ceremony took place in the Credential Room of the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday, marking the commencement of their official duties representing their nations in Indonesia.


The ambassadors domiciled in Jakarta are:

1. Maynor Jacobo Cuyún Salguero from the Republic of Guatemala
2. Ashraf Mohamed Moguib Sultan from the Arab Republic of Egypt
3. Tania Velazquez Lopez from the Republic of Cuba
4. Fawziya Edrees Salman Al-Sulaiti from Qatar
5. Mohammed At Thalib Zain Al Abidin from Mauritania
6. José Amir da Costa Dornelles from the Federative Republic of Brazil
7. Abdulla Salem Obaid Salem AlDhaheri from the United Arab Emirates

During the ceremony, Jokowi and the seven ambassadors wore masks and took group photographs, albeit maintaining a distance from one another.

On the occasion, Jokowi was accompanied by Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi, Minister/State Secretary Pratikno, and Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung.(ATARA)