VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesian Government spokesperson for COVID-19 Handling, Achmad Yurianto, has urged people to not believe in hoaxes that are being spread around the coronavirus, saying the government has so far detected 1,125 false news stories.

"There are already heavy challenges (for the country), in terms of health risks, and for the economic sector. We must make sure that we do not add more psychological burden (on citizens) from false news or information," he said at a press conference on Thursday for the Task Force for the Acceleration of COVID-19 Handling in Jakarta.

Believing in hoaxes related to COVID-19 will add to psychological pressure and make it even more difficult for those staying at home to stem the spread of coronavirus infections, he elaborated.

The Ministry of Communication and Informatics has detected more than 1,125 hoaxes involving COVID-19 so far on various internet platforms.

"All of this (hoaxes) will be dealt with firmly by the police. Therefore, continue to access and follow correct and official information from the government," he advised citizens.

The public can access verified information online on the Task Force's official portal covid19.go.id, or by calling the 119 hotline number.

There is also a COVID-19 chatbot that can be accessed through WhatsApp or HaloKemkes at 1500567.

People can also search for information on medical or telemedicine applications that are cooperating with the government, such as HaloDoc and Alodokter.

The Task Force for the Acceleration of Handling COVID-19 has reported that between Wednesday and Thursday noon, the number of patients recovering from COVID-19 has increased by 102 to reach 548. The number of fatalities has spiked by 27, bringing the total number of deaths to 496. Meanwhile, an additional 380 positive cases have been recorded as of Thursday, bringing the total COVID-19 case count in Indonesia to 5,516. (ANTARA)

Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan. (ANTARA)

Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan has sought the central government's support to expand the capacity of healthcare facilities in the capital, in anticipation of a further increase in COVID-19 cases.

"The fact now is that the number of cases has continued to increase, hence, we have to be prepared for a more challenging condition," Baswedan said in a meeting with the supervisory team of the House of Representatives for COVID-19 handling here on Thursday.

According to Baswedan, the health facilities in Jakarta have only been prepared for a normal situation, while the number of coronavirus infections has continued to increase.

The capital city has 190 hospitals, of which 100 have treated COVID-19 patients and 172 have handled patients under surveillance (PDP) for coronavirus.

"In Jakarta we have 190 hospitals, with 23 thousand beds, 714 ICUs, 657 isolation rooms, and 947 ventilators," the Governor elaborated.

Given the spike in the number of COVID-19 cases and assuming that 20 percent of patients would need intensive care, the existing health facilities would be inadequate and would not be able to accommodate all patients, he explained.

"If the positive trend continues, maybe, we will have the problem of limited ICUs and isolation rooms. Hence, the capacity (of healthcare facilities) must be improved," he said.

The Governor has also sought the central government's support to increase the capacity for COVID-19 testing with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) kits for faster and more accurate detection of coronavirus infections.

As of Thursday, the number of COVID-19 patients in Jakarta has reached 2,670, with 202 patients recovering and 248 succumbing to the infection.

Of the total COVID-19 positive patients, 1,601 are undergoing treatment in hospitals and 619 are observing self-isolation. (ANTARA)

Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Wishnutama Kusubandio. (ANTARA)

Indonesian Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Wishnutama Kusubandio has forecast a sharp 50 percent drop in foreign exchange revenue from the tourism sector, from US$20 billion recorded in 2019.

"Last year's revenue reached some US$20 billion. Perhaps, this year it would drop by half or more depending on the developments in the COVID-19 pandemic," Wishnutama remarked during a virtual press conference after a meeting with President Joko Widodo in Jakarta on Thursday.

The ministry made the temporary projection on condition that the tourism industry would begin recovering in June 2020.

The plunge in foreign exchange revenue in the sector is chiefly owing to a drop in foreign tourist visits to the country.

According to Kusubandio, the number of foreign tourists is expected to drop to only five million in 2020, as compared to 16 million in 2019.

"From last year's foreign tourists reaching 16 million, maybe this year we can only record five million tourists," he stated.

However, the sector is projected to recover gradually in June and expedite in 2021.

The current pressures on the tourism and creative economy owing to the pandemic have, in fact, driven operators to learn strategies to make the industry more sustainable in the future.

"It is most important that we can contain this pandemic. I believe that after we go through this remarkable process, the tourism and creative economy sector will grow better than before," he affirmed.

At the opening of the limited meeting, President Widodo noted that pressures imparted by the COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism and creative economy sectors will allay by the year-end, and a rebound is projected in 2021.

"Next year, we will witness a boom in the tourism sector. All people will go traveling. All people want to enjoy the beauty of tourist destinations. This optimism must be raised, and we should not become trapped in pessimism," Widodo emphasized. (ANTARA)

Jakarta - House member Sukamta urged the National Cyber and Crypto Agency (BSSN) to develop a highly secure special online meeting application for governmental elements and state apparatuses to ensure cybersecurity and resilience amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"In this case, it is possible for the BSSN to create special applications with a high-security feature for government elements and other state apparatuses," Sukamta, the House of Representatives’ Commission I member, concurrently a politician of the Justice and Prosperous Party (PKS), noted in a statement in Jakarta on Thursday.

Sukamta highlighted the need for a secure application in response to the extensive use of online conference and videoconference applications following the implementation of the Work from Home (WFH) policy.

The PKS politician believes that the BSSN should be in a position to develop an application that can and will be used safely for the president, ministers, members of parliament, and other state institutions' officials.

"The existing temporary alternative is CloudX created by Telkomsel, a subsidiary of the state-owned enterprise (BUMN) Telkom," he remarked.

Sukamta stressed the criticality of developing a high-security application to protect and prevent the leak of discussions during decision-making meetings.

Such an application must meet high military security standards and be completed within two or three weeks, he added.  (ANTARA)