For this reason, all people who have not been fully vaccinated can immediately visit the nearest vaccination service post, including those at some airports and portsJakarta (ANTARA) - Complete vaccination will be made a pre-condition for undertaking travel during the Christmas and New Year holidays as part of efforts to reduce virus transmission, the COVID-19 Handling Task Force has said.
"In the near future, the government will enforce a mandatory policy of full-dose vaccination for inter-district or inter-city travelers in the agglomeration area (and outside) during the Christmas and New Year period," the task force's spokesperson, Wiku Adisasmito, informed here on Thursday.
The central government has given local governments the discretion to adjust the rules based on their situation, especially regions outside Java-Bali where the vaccination rate is still below the national average, he said.
"For this reason, all people who have not been fully vaccinated can immediately visit the nearest vaccination service post, including those at some airports and ports," he added.
Indonesia has never managed to get through a long holiday period without a spike in COVID-19 cases, therefore, the readiness for the Christmas and New Year period is important, he observed.
Even though the pandemic situation at the national level is still under control, he highlighted that there are six provinces that have experienced a significant rise in cases.
The six provinces are Lampung, which has reported 18 daily cases in four days; Bangka Belitung, where daily cases have increased from 8 to 15 in two days; Jakarta, where cases have jumped from 41 to 70 cases in two days; West Java, which has reported an increase in cases from 29 to 83 in three days; East Nusa Tenggara, where cases have risen from 3 to 27 in three days; and West Papua, which has seen cases rise from 4 to 13 in five days, he informed.
In addition, the effective reproduction number (Rt) that shows the potential for transmission in a population has also begun to show an increase in some provinces, Adisasmito said.
"The rise of Rt is an early warning in determining control measures," he explained.
Until now, there are two islands where the Rt has increased: Java Island and Sulawesi Island. They have recorded an increase in the Rt from 0.95 on November 11, 2021, to 0.98 on December 2, 2021, he noted.
"It is unfortunate that this increase in Rt in some regions was not accompanied by the compliance of health protocols," he added.
According to Adisasmito, discipline in following the health protocols is important for preventing COVID-19 transmission.
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Translator: Zubi M, Kenzu T
Editor: Sri Haryati
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
