Indonesia Highlights: Indonesian Counterterrorist Police Kill 2 Militants in Raid On Terrorist Cell | Mass Covid-19 Vaccination Must Be Done Less than 12 Months, Jokowi Tells | Indonesia Might Enter

Popularly known as Jokowi, the President said the country hopes to complete the mass vaccination program in three and a half year, along with the rest of the word.

While Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said the mass Covid-19 vaccination in the “country could be done in 15 months”, the President challenged him to get it done “in less than year”.

“We hope that with the mass vaccination program, we will be able to contain the spread of the Covid-19,” he said. The Covid-19 jab drive is scheduled to take place in the second week of this month.

The vaccines will initially be given to healthcare workers like doctors and nurses, followed by the military and police, then educators. Then, the general public will be vaccinated at the last batch.

Nonetheless, the President called “on the people to remain vigilant, follow health protocols like wearing masks, washing hands, refrain from going to crowded places and maintain physical distancing.”

Source:

https://go.kompas.com/read/2021/01/06/172853374/mass-covid-19-vaccination-must-be-done-less-than-12-months-jokowi-tells. 

Indonesia Might Enter Another Lockdown After Covid-19 Cases Surge

Indonesian President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo has raised the possibility of beginning 2021 with a nationwide lockdown, as the number of Covid-19 cases more than doubled during the last two months of 2020.

Jokowi urged the officials to redouble efforts to contain the pandemic. “[Covid-19 cases surged] as public compliance with health protocols such as wearing masks, washing hands and practicing social distancing declined,” the head of state said.

“I urge the Covid-19 Task Force to communicate health protocols more effectively through television and other media.”

The President noted that “In November there were 54 thousand cases [across Indonesia], which more than doubled to 110 thousand in December.”

Jokowi’s warning comes as the government is set to impose tight social distancing in Java and Bali between January 11 to January 25. Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto announced the imposition of the policy, after the number of weekly cases surged from 48,434 in December 2020 to 51,986 in January 2021.

Source:

https://go.kompas.com/read/2021/01/07/043802474/indonesia-might-enter-another-lockdown-after-covid-19-cases-surge.