MPR deputy speaker calls for collaboration in facing COVID spike

All parties should move jointly in implementing prevention efforts to suppress the current uptick in COVID-19 cases, People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Deputy Speaker Lestari Moerdijat has said.

“In facing the spike in COVID-19 cases, all parties should move jointly to make prevention efforts. No one should ever ignore or even implement policies that are contrary to the prevention efforts,” Moerdijat said in a written statement released on Tuesday.

She issued the statement in response to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in Indonesia based on data from the COVID-19 Task Force.

According to the task force’s data, on Sunday (January 30, 2022), Indonesia recorded 12,422 new COVID-19 cases, while the number of additional infections was 7,010 on Wednesday (January 26), she noted.

Amid the rapid increase in cases, the regulations that are implemented must strengthen prevention efforts, she stressed.

Stakeholders at the central and regional levels must collaborate well for enforcing each regulation so that the COVID-19 spread in the country can be controlled, the MPR deputy speaker said.

According to Moerdijat, support from the community is essential, especially compliance with the health protocols, for facing the increasing COVID-19 transmission.

She emphasized families’ vital role in improving compliance with protocols, including wearing masks, washing hands, and avoiding crowds.

“Even the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) has recommended that people wear N95 masks while implementing the health protocols so that new COVID-19 cases in Indonesia will not continue to increase,” she said.

Moerdijat also urged the community to complete their vaccination doses and appealed to those eligible for booster vaccinations to get them immediately.

The first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Indonesia in March 2020. According to data provided by the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, as of January 31, 2022, at least 4,353,370 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the country, while 4,140,454 people have recovered and 144,320 people have succumbed to the virus.

 

Source: Antara News