Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia is now among the five countries with the largest decline in COVID-19 cases, Communication and Informatics Minister Johnny G. Plate has said.

“Indonesia is one of the five countries that have managed to significantly lower COVID-19 cases and maintain it (the status) for quite a long time. We are now on par with four other countries, India, the Philippines, Iran, and Japan,” he said in a press statement that ANTARA quoted on Sunday.

The minister said he hopes the public will stay disciplined in following health protocols and complying with the regulation concerning the Christmas and New Year celebrations in order to curb COVID-19 cases.

Indonesia has been able to bring down COVID-19 cases by up to 99.3 percent from the peak and maintain the trend for 130 days, he claimed.

As of November 27, 2021, the number of active cases in Indonesia stands at 2.564, well below the lowest number before the COVID-19 spiked at 26,126, he informed.

“The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared Indonesia as a green country with a low transmission rate of below 2 percent,” he noted.

Of course, this is a positive achievement for Indonesia and is the result of the cooperation and hard work of all parties for breaking the COVID-19 transmission chain, he remarked.

“The effort of any individual, however small, has contributed to lowering cases and preventing transmission,” he added.

The successful handling of the COVID-19 pandemic suggests that the government is on the right track, he said.