Inaugurating The COVID-19 Hero Monument, Vice President Hopes The Indonesian Health System To Be More Resilient

JAKARTA - Vice President Ma'ruf Amin inaugurated the COVID-19 Hero Monument in Bandung, West Java, Saturday, December 4, as a tribute to the people who died as a result of being infected with COVID-19.

"For almost two years we have struggled together to face the COVID-19 pandemic, during those two years we have lost many of our brothers and sisters who died in struggle and sacrifice," said Vice President Ma'ruf Amin as quoted by ANTARA.

The Vice President also expressed his deep condolences for the departure of health workers and the public due to COVID-19. The COVID-19 Hero Monument, he continued, is a historical reminder that Indonesia has passed a major test of the pandemic crisis.

"This COVID-19 Hero Monument is a reminder that our nation has passed a big test. The Indonesian government and people face that test and trust each other," he explained.

The COVID-19 Hero Monument is located in the West Java People's Struggle Monument complex, which is opposite the Gasibu Field.

There are 281 names of health workers, state civil servants (ASN), and COVID-19 volunteers who died while carrying out their duties in dealing with the pandemic.

During the inauguration, Vice President Ma'ruf Amin hoped that the health system in Indonesia would become more resilient after being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which affected various sectors of people's lives.

"This can be used as a lesson about the importance of strengthening the health system, to be more resilient and at the same time a reminder for all parties, to remain disciplined in implementing health protocols," said the Vice President when inaugurating the COVID-19 Hero Monument in Bandung, West Java, Saturday.

The Vice President also reminded the public that the pandemic is not over yet, especially since there are several new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

"The pandemic is not over yet, new variants are still emerging, while we must rise up and try to recover quickly," he said.

To prevent the new variant of the virus from entering Indonesia, the Vice President asked all parties to strengthen and accelerate the coverage of COVID-19 vaccinations.

"We must strengthen the health system, we must accelerate the coverage and distribution of vaccinations. We must continue to implement the discipline of implementing health protocols and continue to be creative and adaptive," he explained.

In an effort to speed up the implementation of COVID-19 vaccination in various regions, the Vice President said the government does not only depend on health workers from the health office (Dinkes).

The government will also involve members of the TNI, Polri, National Population and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN), and community organizations (Ormas) to accelerate COVID-19 vaccination.

"We will multiply it, especially in agglomeration areas, areas where vaccination is still low at around 20 percent as well as areas outside Java," said the vice president.

The vice president also asked all security and immigration officers to tighten entry routes at various entrances to Indonesian territory, whether by air, land, or sea, to prevent the entry of the new variant of SARS-CoV-2 type B.1.1.529 or Omicron.