A restriction will be applied on the mobility of living cattle
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The government will restrict livestock movement in 1,765 sub-districts considered as the "red zone" in the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak in livestock, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto stated.

"A restriction will be applied on the mobility of living cattle. The restriction (will be enforced) at the level of sub-districts affected by the foot-and-mouth disease, or as we called it, the 'red zone,'" Hartarto remarked after a meeting at the Bogor Palace, West Java, Thursday.

The minister noted that the 1,765 sub-districts considered as "red zone" accounted for 38 percent of the 4,614 sub-districts nationwide.

"The (restriction) will be detailed by a Home Ministry's Instruction," the coordinating minister noted.

The government will prioritise micro-level-based measures to address FMD outbreaks in regions, similar to the COVID-19 pandemic handling, he remarked.

Entry and exit points from and to livestock farms will also be monitored by the authority, he added.

"The other (control) mechanism that must be enforced apart from the livestock movement is also to control the entry and exit of livestock on farms. (Handling) biohazard by disinfectant is essential to maintain the health of the potential carrier of the virus," Hartarto remarked.

Moreover, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) will establish an FMD handling task force that will be presided over by National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Head Suharyanto, the coordinating minister confirmed.

"The task force deputies will be supplied by Agriculture Ministry's Directorate General of Livestock and Animal Health, Home Ministry's Directorate General of Regional Development, Coordinating Ministry of Economic Affairs deputy, Police Chief's operational assistant, and the military commander. The structure will mirror the COVID-19 handling committee," Hartarto expounded.

The government will also procure up to 28-29 million doses of FMD vaccines in 2022, funded by the COVID-19 Handling and National Economic Recovery Committee (KPC-PEN) budget, he added.

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Translator: Indra Arief P, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Sri Haryati
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