"During the month of fasting, we use it to intensify vaccinations, both complete and booster vaccinations. Thus, hopefully, people would be motivated to get vaccinated, as they are going to join the homecoming exodus," the minister noted in a written statement received here on Friday.
According to Effendy, the momentum of Ramadan is supported by President Joko Widodo's permission for people to join the Eid exodus by necessitating that they should have completed the primary vaccinations and booster dose.
Effendy noted that based on a survey conducted by the Ministry of Transportation, the number of people that will join the 2022 Eid homecoming exodus is projected to reach 79 million. Thus, it should be utilized to encourage people to get vaccinated as part of the exodus requirement.
He affirmed that the government is planning to provide vaccination services at mosques specifically for people conducting worship.
The minister asserted that the government will coordinate further with related parties for the implementation of vaccinations in mosques during Ramadan.
"We will coordinate with the Ministry of Health, the National Police (Polri), the Indonesian Military (TNI), and the Indonesian Mosque Council (DMI). Hopefully, it will run well," he stated.
As part of the efforts to boost community immunity against COVID-19, the Indonesian government rolled out a nationwide vaccination program on January 13, 2021, targeting 208,265,720 citizens.
According to data provided by the Health Ministry, as of April 1, 2022, nearly 196,777,182 Indonesians had received their first COVID-19 jab; 159,794,862 had been fully vaccinated; and 23,308,990 had received the booster shot.
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Translator: Andi Firdaus, Raka Adji
Editor: Sri Haryati
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