Greetings, Elbow, Who Is Being Socialized In The Palace

JAKARTA - The Palace environment is practicing a new style of greeting, to prevent the spread of the corona virus, aka COVID-19. This greeting is called 'elbow greetings' and has been practiced by the Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani and former Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla, when the two of them will have a meeting with Vice President Ma'ruf Amin.

In a photo, Sri Mulyani appears to put the elbow of her right hand on Jusuf Kalla's right elbow. The Minister of Finance seemed to be smiling broadly when he did this.

In a different place, the Chief of Presidential Staff (KSP) Moeldoko said that the elbow greetings that are now widely practiced in the Palace environment as well as other state officials are a positive thing to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Moreover, the virus has now been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO).

"Yes, I think that's a good way because basically we both don't know if we enter the area. Shaking hands are risky, but if you do this, no one will be offended even though it's a bit funny, but that's good," said Moeldoko at the Complex Presidential Palace, Jakarta, Wednesday, March 12.

Vice President Ma'ruf Amin did a different thing when most of the Palace environment did 'elbow greetings'. The inactive chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) did not salute his elbows. He used the 'corona greeting' when greeting former Vice President Jusuf Kalla at his office. The greeting in question is that both of them have their hands clasped in front of their chests, like the Namaste greeting, in India.

Regarding the 'elbow greetings' carried out by Sri Mulyani, and several other palace ranks, tropical disease and infection experts from Ciptomangunkusumo Hospital (RSCM), Dr. Erni Juwita Nelwan, SpPD, PhD said, it is actually still not safe to prevent the spread of COVID- 19. Moreover, so far, there have been recommendations if you cough or sneeze covered with your elbow.

"Greeting with the elbow is actually a risk, because coughing or sneezing it is recommended to cover it with the elbow. In addition, the distance is also close," said Erni when we contacted via text message.

Moreover, according to WHO recommendations for the prevention of the corona virus, someone should not stand too close. Because, if someone is standing within a distance of about 1 or 2 meters from someone who has COVID-19, then there is the potential to be infected with the virus.

So, said Erni, it is better to use 'corona greetings' or 'Namaste greetings' as used by Ma'ruf Amin. "It's better because it's not close together," he said.

Previously reported, the high number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the world prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare that the virus outbreak was a pandemic.

WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the number of COVID-19 cases outside China increased 13-fold in two weeks. There have been 118,000 cases, more than 4,000 deaths, and the virus has occurred on every continent except Antarctica.

A virus can be said to be a pandemic if it is present in many countries around the world at the same time. Meanwhile, an outbreak is a case of disease that exceeds what is usually expected and an epidemic is a number of more than normal cases, certain health-related behaviors, or certain health-related events in a community or region, according to WHO.

"We have never seen a pandemic triggered by a coronavirus before. And we have never seen a pandemic that can be controlled at the same time," Ghebreyesus said, Thursday, March 12.

"Describing a situation as a pandemic does not change WHO's assessment of the threat posed by this coronavirus. It doesn't change what WHO is doing and it doesn't change what a country should do," Ghebreyesus added.

"Thousands more are fighting for their lives in hospitals. In the days and weeks ahead, we expect to see the number of # COVID19 cases, the number of deaths, and the number of affected countries climb even higher" - @ DrTedros #coronavirus

- World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) March 11, 2020

In Indonesia, this virus has also made 34 people now have to undergo special isolation so that the spread of the virus does not occur. They were treated in several hospitals, one of which is the Sulianti Saroso Central Infection Hospital (RSPI), Jakarta and the Friendship Hospital, Jakarta. Some of them are foreign nationals (WNA) or those who have recently traveled to a country where the spread of COVID-19 has occurred.

The first case in Indonesia occurred after a citizen made close contact with a Japanese citizen living in Malaysia. It is known, this Japanese citizen has been suffering from COVID-19 since last February 14.