"Public participation and awareness is one of the main keys for preventing the spread of COVID-19," Pane, who is also a researcher at the Center for Public Health Research at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), said when contacted in Jakarta on Monday.
In controlling a disease outbreak, public participation and awareness have a big influence, she added.
For this reason, she said, the community needs to play an active role in efforts to deal with COVID-19 while still observing the health protocols.
"To increase community participation, the government needs to carry out intensive education and outreach to encourage public awareness," she added.
The lifting of restrictions on community activities (PPKM) does not mean that the pandemic is over, she stressed.
“Thus, the use of masks and hand washing are still important, especially in certain conditions, for example, in closed spaces or when it is difficult to maintain distance," she said.
According to Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin, the government has started to reduce strict measures on community activities after the revocation of the PPKM at the end of 2022.
"The point is that we will reduce government intervention that regulates society. So that people's participation on their own awareness can be increased; medicines and vaccines are available," he said.
So far, the government has no plans to make the second booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine a travel requirement, he added.
He then urged people to take the second booster and increase their awareness about the emergence of the XBB 1.5 sub-variant, Omicron Kraken.
He said that though he believes that the immunity of the Indonesian community is quite good, it is advisable for the elderly and people with comorbidities to get the second booster.
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Translator: Wuryanti, Azis Kurmala
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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