Airlangga Hartarto: Health And Economy In 8 Priority Provinces For Handling COVID-19 Must Be Balanced

Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto. (Photo: Twitter @airlangga_hrt)

JAKARTA - Chairperson of the Policy Committee for Handling COVID-19 and National Economic Recovery (KPCPEN) Airlangga Hartarto requested that the handling of COVID-19 be specifically enhanced in 8 provinces to pay attention to the economic aspects in each of these areas.

Furthermore, Airlangga wanted a balance between handling COVID-19 and the economy. This is because the two sectors are interrelated.

"Then the team encourages a balance between health management in 8 provinces and safeguards related to economic activities in their respective places," he said, in a virtual press conference, Friday, September 18.

The eight provinces that are prioritized are DKI Jakarta, West Java, Central Java, East Java, North Sumatra, South Sulawesi, South Kalimantan and Papua. The contribution of the eight provinces to the addition of COVID-19 cases in the country is 70 percent.

Airlangga said that currently there are several provinces that have experienced an increase in the number of positive cases of COVID-19. Among others, West Java and South Sulawesi. In addition, he said, there are also provinces with cases where the recovery is below average.

"There are several provinces with recovery rates below the national average, Central Java, West Java, and there are also two provinces with case fatality rates above the national average, namely Central Java and East Java," he said.

Currently, said Airlangga, there have been efforts to improve the handling of COVID-19 after the appointment of the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan and Head of the National Disaster Management Agency Doni Monardo.

However, according to Airlangga, there are still several other efforts that the government will take to suppress the transmission of COVID-19 in the eight priority provisions. Among these are the synchronization of central and regional data, improving hospital management, justisi operation, and enforcement of health protocol discipline.

"Tight coordination and comprehensive supervision and regulations related to Pilkada are being prepared so that a pandemic does not occur in the Pilkada cluster," he explained.