Gianyar, Bali (ANTARA) - The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has said it has prepared several strategies for the prevention and handling of COVID-19 ahead of a number of international events scheduled to be held in Bali province.

The international events include the Masters Super 750 and Indonesia Open 2021 badminton championships in November 2021, BWF World Tour Finals in December 2021, a convention on the dangers of mercury titled 'COP-4 Minamata Convention' in March 2022, and the G-20 Summit in October 2022, he added.

"We should prove to the world that Indonesia can hold those events while still paying attention to health procedures and protocols according to WHO standards," head of the BNPB, Ganip Warsito, said here on Tuesday.

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According to the directive and order of President Joko Widodo, the strategy for preventing and handling COVID-19 is essential and must be implemented immediately, especially because the government has also reopened Bali province for international travelers since October 14, 2021, he explained.

The decision has been taken based on the consideration and evaluation of the results of COVID-19 handling in Bali, which are considered good, Warsito said. Therefore, the province has also been deemed ready to welcome back tourists and organize large-scale national and international events, he added.

"This decision, of course, implicated that the local government together with the community and business actors must prepare themselves as well as possible, so that the reopening of economic activities can run sustainably, supported by high compliance of health protocols," he said.

The BNPB head pointed out that the main strategies in the transition from pandemic to endemic—strict implementation of health protocols, intensifying testing, tracing, and treatment (3T), as well as expediting COVID-19 vaccinations—should become a priority for the provincial, district, and city governments.

The BNPB will also organize an international event in the field of disaster mitigation—Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GPDRR)—which will be held in Nusa Dua, Bali, in May 2022, he informed.

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Translator: Naufal Fikri, Raka Adji
Editor: Suharto
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