President Joko Widodo is fulfilling the Constitutional obligationJakarta (ANTARA) - Implementation of emergency public activities restrictions (PPKM) is a form of Constitutional obligation discharged by President Joko Widodo, according to Presidential Special Staff for Communication, Fadjroel Rachman.
"President Joko Widodo is fulfilling the Constitutional obligation, 'Protecting the nation of Indonesia and the entire homeland of Indonesia and promoting the public's welfare and educating the nation's lives'. This Constitutional obligation is being reflected, one of which is through the implementation of the emergency PPKM," Rachman noted in a statement received here, Thursday.
Rachman remarked that the implementation of emergency PPKM by the government is an endeavor to protect people, families, and communities from the spread of COVID-19.
"The basic principle of emergency PPKM is to save people from the threats of coronavirus spread by enforcing health protocols, as at the moment, the most important measures to prevent further spread is to adhere to the 5M health protocols that comprise proper wearing of masks, hand-washing with soap, maintaining distance, avoiding crowds, and reducing mobility," he affirmed.
Apart from PPKM, Rachman noted that measures to protect the public from COVID-19 included vaccine rollout while adding that the head of state had successfully engaged in bilateral and multilateral diplomacy for vaccine provisions. As of June 2021, Indonesia had obtained 93,728,400 shots and 45 million people had been vaccinated.
The Presidential Special Staff for Communication further expounded that the government had implemented strategies in the health, social protection, and economic recovery sectors, especially in support of small businesses, for handling COVID-19 and the impacts of the pandemic.
In applying such measures, the government has set a budget of Rp695.2 trillion for the year 2020 and Rp699.43 trillion for the year 2021.
Moreover, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati stated that the health budget during the emergency PPKM had been stepped up to Rp193.93 trillion, from Rp182 trillion earlier.
The additional budget comprises financing for examinations, tracking, and treatment program for 230 thousand COVID-19 patients, incentives for medical and health workers, death compensations, medicines, and purchases of personal protective equipment (PPE).
The additional budget also comprises the procurement of 53.9 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, paying the National Health Insurance (JKN) contribution for 19.15 million people, and tax incentives for the health sector.
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Translator: Rangga Pandu Asmara Jingga/Ari
Editor: Sri Haryati
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