"Today, the world is astonished by Indonesia's ability to tackle the pandemic, as we are currently in a much safer situation than before," Governor Baswedan stated during the commemoration of the 76th anniversary of the 1945 Ikada Grand Meeting at the Jakarta City Hall, Monday.
Indonesia's ability to face and tackle the COVID-19 infection waves stems from the collaboration among government institutions and the people, a spirit that was also apparent at the Ikada Square on September 19, 1945.
"The unity we see today echoes the spirit of the 1945 Ikada Grand Meeting when the people and leaders got united, with the common goal of defending our independence," Baswedan affirmed.
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The governor called for continuing the collaboration until Indonesia is able to surmount the COVID-19 pandemic.
Earlier, spokesperson for COVID-19 Vaccination of the Health Ministry Siti Nadia Tarmizi stated that Indonesia was currently ranked at level 2 based on the pandemic situation, improving from the July 2021 status when the country was ranked at the maximum level 4.
According to the Jakarta Health Office's data as of September 19, the number of COVID-19 cases in the province had steadily declined. The province recorded a 98.1-percent recovery rate and 1.6-percent death rate, with 2,879 residents of Jakarta currently under treatment or undergoing self-isolation.
The province also recorded a 1.2-percent positivity rate among 116,653 residents undergoing COVID-19 PCR testing last week, far below the five-percent maximum positivity rate set by the World Health Organization.
On September 19, 1945, Jakartans congregated at Jakarta's Ikada Square, now Merdeka Square, to express their confidence and support to President Soekarno, who had earlier declared Indonesia's independence on August 17. This incident was later dubbed as "Ikada Grand Meeting".
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Translator: Dewa Ketut SW, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Suharto
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