Bekasi, West Java (ANTARA) - At least 23,602 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered to mall visitors in Bekasi, West Java, based on the results of local government's monitoring at 17 vaccination outlets in the city's shopping centers.

"We will continue to push it until the end of this month. And if the people's enthusiasm is still high, it is not impossible that we will extend it," Head of the Bekasi City Government's Public Relations Office Sajekti Rubiah said here Friday.

She said tens of thousands of doses of the vaccine were given to visitors, the general public, and tenant employees at 17 malls in her area. The program involved 57 healthcare workers, 40 administrative personnel, as well as security personnel of each shopping center, she informed.

At the Bekasi Summarecon Mall, 1,599 people participated in the mass COVID-19 vaccination program through vaccination booths available at the mall, she said. Meanwhile the number of vaccine recipients stood at 1,034 at Grand Mal Bekasi and 726 at Courts Retail, she added.

Meanwhile, 353 people were inoculated at the Metropolitan Mall, 2,893 at Grand Metropolitan, 1,531 at Revo Town, 477 at Lagoon Avanue, 2,623 at Grand Galaxy Park, 2,333 at Bekasi Cyber Park, and 885 at Mega Bekasi, she disclosed.

Additionally, 885 people got the COVID-19 shot at Mega Bekasi Mall, 1,393 at Blu Plaza, 1,054 at Bekasi Trade Center, 627 at Transpark Juanda, 784 at Ciputra Cibubur Mall, 2,204 at Cibubur Plaza, 741 at Linc Square, and 2,345 at Pondok Gede Plaza, she added.

Related news: Mall visitors in Bali required to show vaccine certificates

Rubiah said the vaccinations were ramped up following the issuance of Circular Letter of the Chairman of the Policy Committee for the Corona Virus Disease 2019 Handling and the Transformation of Economic Recovery in Bekasi City Number 443.1/1906/SET.COVID19 regarding the conduct of the COVID-19 vaccination program at vaccination booths at Bekasi city shopping centers.

"Vaccination at this mall is in order to accelerate the vaccination program as well as to create herd immunity, especially in the Bekasi city area," she said.

The Bekasi City Government is committed to providing vaccination facilities at various locations to stem the spread of COVID-19 by building herd immunity, she added.

"Let residents who have not been vaccinated to immediately take advantage of vaccination outlets spread across Bekasi city, including at the vaccination outlets in shopping centers," she said.

The effort to vaccinate Bekasi residents is in line with President Joko Widodo's goal to vaccinate 70 percent of Indonesian citizens by the end of 2021, she noted.

Recently, during the UOB Economic Outlook 2022 virtual seminar, the President had revealed that 72.76 million people, or 34.94 percent of the population, had been vaccinated, thereby indicating Indonesia was half-way towards achieving its goal.

Related news: Trade Ministry explains vaccination requirements for mall reopening





Translator: Pradita K S, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2021