COVID-19 Cases Rise Ahead of Christmas and New Year, the Public is Asked to Implement Health Protocols

Illustration of community activities using masks (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture (Menko PMK) Muhadjir Effendy advised residents who will be on holiday for Christmas 2023 and New Year 2024 to implement health protocols (Prokes) in line with the recent increase in cases of COVID-19 transmission.

"My message to residents is to make efforts to enjoy the long holidays, both Christmas and New Year holidays, smoothly, happily and happily, so be careful, especially complying with health protocols as we usually do when dealing with COVID-19," said Muhadjir, quoted by ANTARA , Monday, December 18.

Muhadjir said cases of COVID-19 transmission in a number of countries were starting to increase, including in Indonesia. However, this increase does not need to be responded to with panic or anything excessive.

Muhadjir said that the endemic status in Indonesia does not mean that SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, has disappeared from the face of the earth.

"Don't create panic, including regional officials, don't think this is something extraordinary, this is normal and we have predicted that when we enter the endemic period, COVID-19 will still roam around us," Muhadjir said.

Apart from that, he said, Indonesian society as a whole is already at the peak of herd immunity. Nevertheless, he also encouraged people who have not received a booster vaccine or have never received a vaccine to immediately get vaccinated.

Previously, the Indonesian Ministry of Health prepared more than 143 homecoming posts spread along the homecoming route for Christmas and New Year 2024. Deputy Minister of Health of the Republic of Indonesia Dante Saksono Harbuwono said the government still has a stock of 4.1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine which can still be used to meet the needs of travelers Christmas and new year.

He said the trend of increasing COVID-19 cases was in the range of 35-40 cases as of December 6, 2023, with the number of patients being treated in hospital recorded at 60-131 people, still at a controlled level.

"The increase is still not very significant. It is still under control," he said.