Malaysia Enters Endemic Transition Next Month, Indonesia How? This Is The Answer From The Ministry Of Health

Secretary of the Directorate General of Public Health Siti Nadia Tarmizi/ Antara

JAKARTA - Malaysia announced that the country will enter a transition period from a pandemic to a COVID-19 endemic on April 1, 2022.

When the transition period is implemented in the neighboring country, there will no longer be any restrictions on the operational time of the business or the place of business. However, everyone is still required to wear a mask in public places.

Then, state restrictions will be reopened. The PCR test before entering Malaysia is still mandatory, but there is no longer a quarantine period. Activities in places of worship are no longer restricted to social distancing.

Then, what is the latest news regarding the transition plan to endemic in Indonesia?

The government has stated that it is inevitable that Indonesia will enter this period. However, until now, the timing of the implementation of the transition can not be determined when it will take effect.

"Until now, the implementation of the transition period to endemic is still being discussed with experts," said Secretary of the Directorate General of Public Health Siti Nadia Tarmizi to VOI, Thursday, March 17.

Nadia emphasized that the government does not want to rush to declare certainty when Indonesia enters a transition period to endemic even though currently the indicators of pandemic control continue to show positive things.

Nadia continued, the government will implement a transition period if the COVID-19 conditions in Indonesia have met a number of indicators. First, the transmission rate must be less than 1.

Second, the positivity rate must be less than 5 percent. Third, the hospitalization rate should be less than 5 percent. Fourth, the case fatality rate or fatality rate must be less than 3 percent. Fifth, the PPKM level is at level 1 local transmission. He said, These conditions must occur within a certain time span, for example 6 months.

"The transition process towards endemic normalization does not mean that there are no COVID-19 cases at all, but that there will still be cases. To eliminate a disease it takes a longer time, of course we must be prepared to continue to coexist with COVID-19," explained Nadia.

What is clear, said Nadia, is that the indicators and timing are still being discussed by the government together with experts to determine the best indicators to actually achieve an endemic condition.

"The most important thing is that during an endemic, even if there are cases, they will not interfere with our lives as they are today, where almost our life activities, social life, religious life, tourism are not disrupted by the presence of COVID-19 cases," he explained.