Jakarta (ANTARA) - The government has prepared a roadmap to support Indonesia’s gradual transition from the pandemic to endemic phase, Government Spokesperson for COVID-19 Handling Reisa Broto Asmoro has informed.

"(As) a number of countries have lifted COVID-19 restrictions with various approaches, this transition from pandemic to endemic also needs to be done gradually," she said on Monday.

The roadmap will be used to normalize community activities through virus control policies, setting a hospital occupancy limit, and suppressing the death rate to ensure it remains at a low level, she added.

The roadmap has been created by carefully taking some things into account, not only related to health and science, but also several aspects of people's lives such as social, cultural, and economic aspects, she said.

The roadmap has proven effective, as it has eventually helped control the latest spike in COVID-19 cases, Asmoro noted. As of March 6, 2022, hospital occupancy in Indonesia has begun to decline, she pointed out.

Related news: Eye on endemic phase, gov't boosts vaccinations for older adults

The occupancy of beds and intensive isolation rooms is 29 percent of the national capacity, she informed.

Meanwhile, the first dose vaccination coverage has touched 92.2 percent as of March 6, although complete dose coverage has only reached 71.03 percent and booster coverage is still below 10 percent, she said.

"We expect that it will continue to decline and the government will continue to try to keep it under control with one of the indicators, that is the positivity rate, which must be below the 5-percent target," she said.

Asmoro highlighted that in order to get ready for an endemic period, the tracking capacity must also be improved.

This will require cooperation from all parties in implementing the health protocols such as wearing masks, washing hands, and maintaining a safe distance so as to stem the spread of COVID-19, she said.

"The community also has a role to play in halting the spread of COVID-19 and so far, we have learned for two years long, to start living by adapting to new habits that we do every day," she added.

Related news: Pre-endemic health protocols being finalized: ministry





Translator: Hreeloita D S, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2022