"Jakarta strives to cater to everyone equally and that also includes foreigners," Jakarta Deputy Governor Ahmad Riza Patria stated in Jakarta on Tuesday.
The Jakarta administration applies the principle of non-discrimination in convening mass vaccination drives in the capital city, he said, adding that the schedule for vaccination program for refugees and asylum seekers remains awaited.
The suggestion to vaccinate refugees aligns with the Jakarta Provincial Government's mission to expedite the rate of vaccination to cover all residents of Jakarta above 12 years of age, including foreigners.
Patria's statement was in line with the proposal Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan had sent to Indonesian Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin on July 12 that foreign refugees and asylum seekers currently living in Jakarta get vaccinated.
Currently, foreigners are only able to access vaccination by joining the "Gotong Royong" (mutual assistance) vaccination program primarily for foreigners working in Indonesian companies.
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In his suggestion, Baswedan drew attention to the difficulties encountered by foreign refugees and asylum seekers, who are unable to utilize the Gotong Royong vaccination program to secure a vaccine shot for themselves.
Baswedan highlighted the urgency of vaccination for refugees and asylum seekers, as they should also be protected. He pointed out that refugees were susceptible to contracting the disease on account of their frequent interactions with locals and difficulties faced in following health protocols and conducting self-isolation.
Baswedan also drew attention to a letter that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) sent to the Jakarta Health Office on March 17, 2021, suggesting that the refugees and asylum seekers, especially the elderly and those with comorbidities, get vaccinated.
"We have proposed that the inoculation be not only given to those that UNHCR has suggested but lalso to all refugees and asylum seekers," Baswedan noted in the letter to the Indonesian Health Ministry.
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Translator: Dewa Ketut SW, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
