Indonesia must take lessons from COVID-19 surge in Europe

Kamis, 18 November 2021 06:37 WIB

Head of Behavior Change at the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, Sonny Harry B. Harmadi. ANTARA/Asep Firmansyah/Youtube-FMB9

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia must learn from the coronavirus surge in several countries in Europe in order to prevent a third wave of infections, the COVID-19 Handling Task Force has stressed.

"The implementation of health protocols is what makes us different. In other countries, a decrease in cases is followed by the easing of health protocols. However, we are different," head of Behavior Change at the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, Sonny Harry B. Harmadi, said at an online discussion, accessed from here on Wednesday.

Several things must be considered to maintain a decline in cases and avoid a potential third wave of COVID-19, he stated

First, COVID-19 health protocols should never be eased, he said. The COVID-19 surge in several countries in Europe occurred because mask-wearing in public places was no longer an obligation, he added.

Second, COVID-19 vaccinations must be conducted massively to ensure high and uniform vaccination coverage, Harmadi said.

He affirmed that the Indonesian government is continuing to push the expansion of vaccination coverage. About 40 percent or 85.3 million citizens have received the second dose of the vaccine, while 131,292,871 people have received the first dose as of Tuesday, he noted.

"We have our own policy of implementing the PeduliLindungi application as a condition for entry or travel. This policy encourages people to get vaccinated. For example, if they want to go to the mall, they must show their vaccine certificates," he said.

Last, tighten the arrival of people from abroad and increase surveillance on the country's borders to prevent the entry of new COVID-19 variants, he said.

Currently, he said, the sub-variant of Delta, AY.4.2, which is suspected to be behind the case surge in Inggris, has been detected in Singapore and Malaysia. Therefore, tightening Indonesia's entry points is essential, he added.

"The entry of a new variant could have an impact on a spike in cases like in July, which was caused by the transmission of the Delta variant," he remarked. (