VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

A woman wearing a face mask walks in front of the Twin Towers during the first day of the third movement control order (MCO) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on May 7, 2021. (Photo: AP/Vincent Thian) - 

Malaysia will ban all interstate and inter-district movement without permission from the police starting from Monday (May 10).

The nationwide ban will last four weeks until Jun 6. It covers all states regardless if they are under the movement control order (MCO), or recovery, conditional or enhanced MCO, said Senior Minister for Security Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

Any social or official face-to-face events, whether in the public or private sector, will also not be allowed. 

Mr Ismail Sabri said the restrictions will be reviewed after two weeks.

Amid a rising number of COVID-19 cases, Malaysia has put in place tighter measures in parts of the country. 

Kuala Lumpur is under MCO until May 20. Several districts in Selangor and Johor have also been placed under renewed restrictions.

Mr Ismail Sabri said on Saturday there are no plans to implement a nationwide MCO. A targeted MCO can be enforced by identifying areas with large COVID-19 outbreaks, he said.

Under the movement curbs, social events such as weddings, reunions and retreats are prohibited. 

For areas under conditional or recovery MCO, visiting will be allowed for the first three days of Aidilfitri, subject to a maximum of 20 or 25 visitors.

For enhanced MCO areas, no visiting is allowed during Hari Raya. 

As of Saturday, Malaysia has reported 436,944 COVID-19 infections and 1,657 deaths//CNA

Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi (third from right) at the Pulogebang Terminal in East Jakarta, Saturday (May 8, 2021). ANTARA/Dewa Wiguna - 

Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi personally inspected the application of health protocols and the movement of non-homecoming exodus passengers at the Pulogebang Bus Terminal, East Jakarta.

According to Antara's observation at the Pulo Gebang Terminal on Saturday, the transportation minister arrived at the largest terminal in Indonesia at around 9:40 Indonesian Western Time (WIB) and headed to the passenger arrival terminal.

During the visit, the transportation minister was accompanied by Head of the Greater Jakarta (Jabodetabek) Transportation Management Agency (BPTJ) Polana B. Pramesti, Head of the Jakarta Transportation Agency Syafrin Liputo, and Head of the Pulogebang Terminal Bernard Pasaribu.

At the arrival terminal, Sumadi reviewed the passenger inspection process conducted with an antigen and GeNose swab test.

The minister thereafter headed to the departure terminal to inspect the checkpoint on the second floor of the Pulogebang Terminal.

Furthermore, Sumadi monitored the waiting room area for passengers departing from Jakarta.

The minister had the opportunity to converse with a passenger departing for Yogyakarta, as he had an assignment from his workplace.

Earlier, Sumadi had also visited the Pasar Senen Station to observe the implementation of health protocols and policies on the homecoming exodus ban//ANT

Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin during a webinar on the World Immunization Week 2021. ANTARA/screenshot of Health Ministry's YouTube account/sh - 

The Health Ministry intends to expand its national immunization program, under the strategic plan of health reform, with the inclusion of three other vaccines, in a bid to lower the maternal and child mortality rates.

"This is because one target in our medium-term development plan (RPJMN) is reducing the maternal and child mortality rates, and we know that many newborn babies have died of diarrhea and pneumonia," Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin stated during a webinar on World Immunization Week 2021 here on Saturday.

The ministry has tweaked the concept of basic immunization into routine immunization, comprising basic immunization and advanced immunization, he revealed.

Health facilities have earlier administered 11 vaccines to children in the national immunization program, and in 2022, the program will include three other vaccines: PCV, HPV and rotavirus.

PCV, or pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, is given to safeguard infants, young children, and adults from the disease caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae, including meningitis and pneumonia.

HPV, or human papillomavirus vaccines, are vaccines that prevent infection by certain types of human papillomavirus that cause the greatest risk of cervical cancer. HPV is important to be given in early age.

The Rotavirus vaccine is administered to protect against rotavirus infections, which are the leading cause of severe diarrhea among young children.

"We have designing the strategic plan of health reform as ordered by the president. We have decided that Indonesia will administer 14 vaccines in the national program next year," Sadikin remarked.

Inclusion of the three new vaccines is expected to reduce maternal and infant mortality rate, so Indonesia can benefit from the demographic bonus.

"Public participation is crucial. I experienced first-hand during the COVID-19 vaccination that it is not an easy job. If we can do it together, we can conduct 14 routine vaccinations for all Indonesians," he remarked.

Indonesian Medical Association’s (IDI’s) spokesman, Hartono Gunardi, hailed the ministry's plan to include three more vaccines in its routine vaccination program.

"This is a gift for us all -- the PCV, HPV, and rotavirus immunizations -- for all Indonesian children," he stated//ANT

A screen grab of Minister of Foreign Affairs, Retno Marsudi, at the press conference held online regarding the arrival of the third batch of the AstraZeneca vaccine under the COVAX facility multilateral scheme. ANTARA/Rangga Pandu Asmara Jingga - 

Indonesia received the third batch of ready-to-use COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca, under the COVAX facility multilateral scheme, at the Soekarno-Hatta international airport in Tangerang on Saturday.

“Today, we need to be grateful that Indonesia is able to receive again the third batch of the vaccine under the COVAX facility multilateral scheme,” Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi stated during an online press conference here on Saturday.

Marsudi confirmed the arrival of 1,3,389,600 doses of the ready-to-use vaccine on Saturday.

Earlier, on Thursday (May 6), as many as 55,300 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine also arrived here.

“Overall, a total of 1,444,900 doses of the ready-to-use AstraZeneca vaccine of the third batch reached by this week under the COVAX facility scheme,” she noted.

The minister stated that 6,410,500 doses of the ready-to-use AstraZeneca vaccine, under the multilateral scheme, had arrived in Indonesia.Collectively, the number of vaccine doses received by Indonesia, so far, has reached 75,910,500.

Of the total doses of vaccines, 68,500,000 were from Sinovac, 6,410,500 were from AstraZeneca under the COVAX facility, and one million were from Sinopharm.

Marsudi highlighted that Indonesia was sentient of the fact that upholding the commitment to providing equal access to vaccination for all nations was no easy task.

The COVAX facility, supported by GAVI, WHO, and CEPI and in cooperation with UNICEF, has made unwavering attempts to provide vaccine equally to all countries, according to the minister.

“I laud the efforts. Since the start of the pandemic, Indonesia has consistently voiced for equal access to the vaccine for all. Indonesia also supports the COVID-19 patent deletion to boost the capacity of vaccine productivity globally,” she highlighted.

On May 17, 2021, the Indonesian foreign affairs minister, along with the Ethiopian health minister and Canadian international development minister, will chair the meeting of the COVAX AMC Engagement Group.

The meeting is aimed at discussing the current situations pertaining to the attempts to ensuring equitable vaccine access for all countries//ANT