"We make our utmost efforts to prevent the potential resurgence of COVID-19 cases. To this end, we must take anticipatory measures to halt the potential third wave of infections," Amin said.
He made the statement during a visit to the Salafiyah Syafi'iyah Islamic Boarding School in Situbondo district, East Java province, to review a mass vaccination drive.
During the visit, he was accompanied by East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa, Situbondo district head Karna Suswandi, and several Muslim clerics from the Islamic boarding school.
In a press statement that ANTARA received here on Thursday, he urged people to remain vigilant by joining the vaccination program and consistently following the health protocols.
Currently, the COVID-19 curve has been flattened, but Indonesia has yet to be completely safe, he cautioned. Therefore, the people at large still need to comply with the health protocols and get vaccinated, he said.
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Amin said he appreciated educational institutions for supporting the government's vaccination program through vaccination drives such as the organized by the Salafiyah Syafi'iyah Islamic Boarding School.
The collective support from various elements of society for the COVID-19 vaccination program would hopefully accelerate the resumption of normal life across the archipelago, he added.
The novel coronavirus outbreak initially struck the Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of 2019 and then spread to various parts of the world, including countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Indonesian government announced the country's first confirmed cases on March 2, 2020.
Since then, the central and regional governments have made persistent efforts to flatten the COVID-19 curve by intensifying vaccination and imposing health protocols as well as public activity restrictions.
The central government also banned homebound travel, locally known as 'mudik', during last year's and this year's fasting month of Ramadhan and the Idul Fitri holiday season.
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Translator: Fransiska N, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
