We must not let the health protocols discipline that we have developed for long be gone in smoke. Let us maintain (health protocols) for our lifeJakarta (ANTARA) - Head of the Presidential Staff Office (KSP) Moeldoko cautioned residents against complacency in response to the recent relaxation of mask-wearing requirements in public spaces.
"We must not let the health protocols discipline that we have developed for long be gone in smoke. Let us maintain (health protocols) for our life," Moeldoko noted in his press statement here on Thursday.
The office head highlighted that the relaxation on mask requirement in public spaces is not to modify the positive habits of residents, particularly health protocol habits, to prevent COVID-19 infection.
"Residents must continue to remain disciplined regarding other health protocols, such as washing hands and maintaining physical distancing," he noted.
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The relaxation on masks requirement is limited only to outdoor and open spaces, while residents are still required to wear masks in indoor spaces, he added.
Moeldoko then pointed out that the COVID-19 pandemic had triggered positive changes in the government and society.
The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed the government to rev up transformation of the national healthcare architecture and resilience through improvement of the healthcare system, such as in local public health centres, in regions, he remarked.
The pandemic has also compelled the Indonesian society to introspect on the importance of maintaining health and preventing disease by changing lifestyle habits and understanding that preventing the disease is better than treating it, the office head emphasized.
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Earlier, the government had decided to relax the mask requirement on account of an improvement in the COVID-19 pandemic situation in Indonesia.
Residents are allowed to go mask-free in outdoor and open public spaces that are not crowded.
Despite the rule relaxation, masks are still required to be worn at all times in indoor spaces, while travelling in means of public transportation, and by residents with cough and cold symptoms or health vulnerabilities.
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Translator: Rangga Pandu AJ, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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