The food stocks in Makassar remain secure and will be able to meet the demand until October this yearMakassar, S Sulawesi (ANTARA) - The food security authority in Makassar, South Sulawesi Province’s capital, has provided 110 tons of rice to enable the city government fulfill the needs of residents during the imposition of 14-day-long large-scale social restriction measures.
"The food stocks in Makassar remain secure and will be able to meet the demand until October this year," Head of the Makassar City Administration's Food Security Office Sri Sulsilawati informed journalists here on Thursday.
Some 100 tons of reserved rice stocks for the city, sourced from the state budget for disaster emergency response, are stored at the State Logistics Agency's (Bulog's) warehouses. Meanwhile, 10 tons have been readied by utilizing the city government's budget as a precautionary measure to handle the dearth of rice stocks, she explained.
The Indonesian health ministry has approved the Makassar city government's proposed imposition of the large-scale social restriction measures to break the chain of the new coronavirus outbreak, as revealed in the minister's letter dated April 16.
The large-scale social restriction and distancing measures will be applied for 14 days and can be extended, Acting Mayor of Makassar City M. Iqbal Suhaeb stated.
Some 13 days prior to the central government's approval for the imposition of large-scale social restriction measures in Makassar, South Sulawesi Governor HM Nurdin Abdullah had instructed local authorities across the province to quarantine all visitors for 14 days.
"We have all agreed to impose that policy. It must be upheld," he told journalists on the sidelines of his visit to the Nusantara Seaport in Parepare City on April 3. He made the statement in connection with measures to halt the spread of COVID-19 in South Sulawesi Province.
Visitors will be quarantined for 14 days to ensure they are not infected with the deadly virus. They will be allowed to return to their provinces of origin on completion of the quarantine period, he stated.
The provincial, district, and city administrations will work hand-in-hand to ensure the effective imposition of quarantine in all urban and rural areas. All ports of entry to South Sulawesi will also be secured, the governor revealed.
The provincial capital Makassar is the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in South Sulawesi. To prevent the spread of the virus, the governor has urged outsiders to postpone their plans to visit the province during the Idul Fitri "mudik" season.
"Mudik" refers to the annual exodus of citizens to their hometowns to celebrate Idul Fitri with their extended families and colleagues.
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Translator: M Darwin F, Rahmad Nasution
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