Indonesia Highlights: Occupancy Rate of Covid-19 Hospital Beds in Jakarta Rising | Jokowi Asserts Equal Access to Covid-19 Vaccine | East Java Hosts Fashion Show

KOMPAS.com – Today in Indonesia news, irritation grew among the urban society as news broke that the government facilitated an event organized by Rizieq Shihab.

The leader of the Islamic group, Islam Defenders Front held a wedding for his daughter that was said to receive 10,000 guests in attendance.

Although Indonesia is far from ending its first wave of coronavirus infections as the national caseload creeps closer to 500,000 confirmed cases, the Covid-19 Taskforce instead provided 20,000 face masks and hand sanitizers for Rizieq’s event guests triggering fury among some of the Indonesian public.

Rizieq explained that his family paid a fine believed to be Rp 50 million for breaking social distancing rules imposed by the Jakarta Provincial Government.

Head of the Covid-19 Taskforce, Doni Monardo reminded the Governor and Vice Governor of Jakarta to emphasize adherence to Covid-19 health protocols to the public as a means of preventing virus transmission.

Doni also asserted that there be better cooperation between Indonesia’s central government with the Jakarta Provincial Government and the country’s public figures in battling the deadly virus.

A wrap-up of today’s Indonesia news is highlighted below:

1. Hospital Beds for Covid-19 Patients in Jakarta Filling Up Fast

The number of occupied beds for Covid-19 patients in referral hospitals in Jakarta increased by 13 percent over the past two weeks thus pushing the total number of occupied beds to 63 percent.

Head of the Covid-19 Taskforce, Doni Monardo additionally shared that the number of ICU rooms being utilized at the capital city's referral hospitals increased by 10 percent pushing the total occupation rate to 68 percent as of yesterday.

The uptick in the number of occupied beds for Covid-19 patients in Jakarta's referral hospitals comes amid a surge in new infections on Saturday, Nov. 14.

Jakarta has 117,462 confirmed Covid-19 cases as of Saturday along with a 92.1 percent recovery rate.

Source: https://megapolitan.kompas.com/read/2020/11/15/11072881/63-persen-tempat-tidur-pasien-covid-19-di-dki-jakarta-telah-terisi 

Dokumentasi/Biro Pers Media dan Informasi Sekretariat Presiden President Joko Widodo during a virtual East Asia Summit on Saturday, November 14, 2020 from the Presidential Palace in Bogor, West Java.

2. Jokowi Reminds the UN to Fulfill Promise of Equal Access to Covid-19 Vaccine and Drugs

During this year’s virtual 11th ASEAN-UN Summit, Indonesian President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo reminded the importance of ensuring equal access to a Covid-19 vaccine and drugs for the UN’s reputation.

Jokowi opened his speech by stating that the UN must restore public trust in multilateralism which can be done through the global fight against the pandemic.

In the short-term, the UN must ensure that everyone gains access to a Covid-19 vaccine and other drugs while in the long-term, ASEAN and the United Nations can collaborate to prepare for future pandemics.

The Indonesia President highlights some mechanisms that have proved successful for ASEAN’s response in mitigating the pandemic such as the ASEAN Response Fund for Covid-19, ASEAN Travel Corridor Arrangement Framework, and the ASEAN Regional Reserve of Medical Supplies.

Source: https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2020/11/15/12472241/jokowi-minta-pbb-penuhi-akses-akan-obat-obatan-dan-vaksin?page=all#page3

3. East Java Government Hosts Small-Scale Fashion Show

With the coronavirus pandemic canceling the usual fashion show events across Indonesia, the East Java government went ahead and came up with its own program.

The East Java Fashion Harmony 2020 event was held at Solong Beach in Banyuwangi, East Java during which 12 designers and batik-makers showcased their work.

The small-scale fashion show was viewed as a means of restoring an enthusiasm for creating and innovating among designers amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Due to the rapid spread of the novel virus, event organizers have had to cancel the popular Indonesia Fashion Week and Surabaya Fashion Parade.

12 designers collaborating with East Java’s batik-makers had the opportunity to feature 65 clothing designs during the event.

The East Java Fashion Harmony 2020 was also virtually attended by representatives of the Indonesian Embassy from Dubai, Moscow, Denmark, Paris, Australia, and Laos.

Source: https://regional.kompas.com/read/2020/11/15/07435971/east-java-fashion-harmony-2020-bangkitkan-semangat-desainer-dan-pembatik?page=all#page2