"Independence Day is a momentum to implement health protocols. Do not let another spike in cases (to occur)," Head of the Behavior Change Division of the COVID-19 Task Force Sonny Harry B. Harmadi noted during a talk show in Jakarta, Monday.
According to Harmadi, Indonesia's 77th Independence Day should become a momentum to strengthen health protocols, especially in wearing masks and following the COVID-19 vaccination, to help the country recover faster and rise stronger.
The commemoration of Indonesia's Independence Day this year will be different than the two previous years since in 2020 and 2021, the government had canceled all celebrations due to activity restrictions and high number of COVID-19 cases.
However, this year, the Independence Day can be celebrated in the midst of an increasing trend of COVID-19 cases. For active cases in Indonesia, the total tally has reached around 53 thousand, and the positivity rate has touched 11.4 percent as of Sunday, August 14.
“As of yesterday, the positivity rate was at 11.4 percent. (Taking into account the) seven-day moving average, in the seven-day average, our positivity rate is at 11.4. That is a high number because it is above the World Health Organization standard of five percent," Harmadi noted.
Hence, Independence Day should be celebrated through strict adherence to health protocols to avoid a spike in (the number of) cases, he stated.
He said that the implementation of health protocols should be strengthened during the phase of declining cases since several current COVID-19 indicators showed a much lower trend than the two earlier variants.
"Even with the case count increasing, the Bed Occupancy Rate (BOR) is still at around six percent. (This is) different from the Delta variant, with the BOR above 70 percent, and Omicron variant, with 40 percent," Harmadi explained.
Harmadi cautioned that the declining cases of COVID-19 should not be underestimated. Hence, he urged all parties to stay vigilant amid better conditions as compared to that during the last two years.
"We must share mutual awareness and not just⁹ one or two persons," he emphasized.
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Translator: Hreeloita Dharma S, Resinta S
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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