"Whatever professional work you do, I hope you all comply with health protocols. Every boss is responsible for the actions of his or her employeesManokwari, W Papua (ANTARA) - West Papua Deputy Governor Muhammad Lakotani made an earnest request to all residents on continued adherence to health protocols to support the government's endeavors to reduce the infection rate.
"Whatever professional work you do, I hope you all comply with health protocols. Every boss is responsible for the actions of his or her employees," he remarked.
On Monday, 10 other residents of West Papua tested positive for COVID-19, comprising six from Sorong City and four others from Teluk Wondama District.
This additional number has brought the province's total tally of positive cases to 9,474 since the government declared Indonesia's first confirmed cases on March 2, 2020.
In reducing the infection rate, all residents, including state and private employees, must continue to practice health protocols to stem the transmission of COVID-19, he remarked.
On Sunday, 19 new positive cases were found in West Papua. They were recorded in Sorong City and the districts of Fakfak, Sorong, and Manokwari.
According to spokesperson of the West Papua COVID-19 Task Force, Arnold Tiniap, the largest number of COVID-19 cases in West Papua arose in Manokwari District and Sorong City, with 3,556 and 3,265 cases respectively.
"Despite their relatively high infection rates, the recovery rates of Manokwari and Sorong are also high enough," he remarked, adding that 9,204 patients in West Papua had fully recovered from the novel coronavirus disease.
Meanwhile, 175 patients had succumbed to the deadly virus. In a bid to stem the infection rate, the local people's active participation in COVID-19 prevention and mitigation efforts is deemed highly indispensable, he remarked.
"We are optimistic of them playing an active role in reducing the tally of positive cases by consistently implementing the government's mandated health protocols," Tiniap emphasized.
Coronavirus infections initially surfaced in the Chinese city of Wuhan in 2019 and thereafter spread across the world, including to countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
Indonesia announced its first confirmed cases on March 2, 2020.
Since then, the central and regional governments have worked incessantly to flatten the coronavirus disease curve through the imposition of health protocols and social restrictions.
Currently, Indonesia's total COVID-19 case count has surpassed 1.9 million.
As part of the efforts to tackle the pandemic, which has acutely impacted public health and the economy, the Indonesian government unveiled a nationwide vaccination program on January 13, 2021, to contain infections.
The Indonesian Health Ministry is targeting to vaccinate 181.5 million people to build herd immunity against the virus, a task projected to take about 15 months.
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Translator: HA Kapisa, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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