Jokowi urges for ʻsense of crisisʼ as Indonesia becomes world Covid-19 hotspot
President urges them to show ‘sense of crisis’ amid raging pandemic
PRESIDENT Joko Widodo urged for a “sense of crisis” among his ministers as Indonesia becomes one of the worst hotspots in the world. Jokowi, as the president is known, called off a paid vaccination plan and told state officials not to travel overseas after wide public backlash, urging them to exercise “social sensitivity”, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung said.
Only the foreign minister and those given special permission by the president could travel internationally, he added.
Indonesia’s daily Covid-19 cases hit a record 56,757 on Thursday before easing to 54,000 on Friday. Brazil reported more than 45,500 infections on Friday, while United States’ cases are climbing again.
“The president has emphasised that in this period of emergency curbs, there must be a sense of crisis throughout all ministries, institutions and leaders,” Pramono said.
Photos of ministers spotted overseas and a plan by a stateowned company to sell vaccines to people were met with anger and questions on why entities are allowed to profit from the doses.
While support for Jokowi has stayed high through the pandemic — a May survey showed 75.6 per cent approval — the virus resurgence has seen people voicing more discontent as infections and deaths surge amid an overwhelmed healthcare system.
All vaccines will remain free for people while the cost of doses procured for the private vaccination programme would be borne by employers as originally planned, Pramono said.
Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin had bemoaned the private vaccination programme organised by the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry as it was slower than the public campaign and shots were bought at too-high prices.
It was due to the lag in the private programme that the government decided to offer unused shots for sale to people.
In Bangkok, Thailand banned gatherings nationwide and may implement further restrictions as the country saw daily coronavirus cases and deaths surge to fresh records.
The nation reported 10,082 new infections yesterday, exceeding 10,000 for the first time, despite the imposition of lockdown-like restrictions since Monday.
There were 141 deaths, data from the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration show.
The ban on public gatherings will take effect immediately, according to a Royal Gazette announcement published on Friday.
Anyone found in violation of the order faces two years in prison or a 40,000 baht fine or both. Thai officials are grappling with a wave of infections stemming from the highly contagious delta variant.
A virus management panel headed by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan o Cha is considering shuttering more types of businesses after people violated earlier bans on inter-provincial travel, gatherings of more than five people and an overnight curfew.
Thailand reported a record one-day tally of new cases as lockdown-like restrictions imposed on the nation’s virus hotspots failed to stem a raging outbreak.
The figures take Thailand’s cumulative infections and deaths to 391,989 and 3,240, respectively. More than 360,000 of those cases have come since early April, mostly in Bangkok.