Asking The Community To Get Vaccinated Immediately, Jokowi: No Religion Forbids Vaccines

Illustration of a COVID-19 vaccination. (Wikimedia Commons/Annalyn Gallego/Province of Camarines Sur)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has asked everyone without exception to immediately implement the COVID-19 vaccine if they get the chance. This is done so that Indonesia immediately achieves community immunity or herd immunity.

He asked the public not to use any excuse not to carry out the vaccine, including the pretext of being forbidden by religion.

"If there is an opportunity to get a vaccine, take it immediately. Don't let anyone refuse, because no one in any religion prohibits this vaccine for our safety", Jokowi said in a video caption that was shown on the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube channel, Wednesday, June 23.

According to him, vaccines are the best way to fight COVID-19. However, the former Governor of DKI Jakarta also reminded that apart from vaccines, the public must also be disciplined in implementing the 3M health protocol, namely wearing masks, maintaining distance, and washing hands.

Discipline, he said, is an important key besides vaccines in dealing with a pandemic. Moreover, COVID-19 is a real problem that knows no race and discrimination.

"Everyone, no matter what their origin, economic status, religion, or ethnicity can all be affected. This is a disease that does not see who we are. If we are not careful and disciplined to take care of ourselves, we can get it", he said.

In addition to asking for discipline, Jokowi also reminded the public not to travel if there was no urgent need. He hopes that this simple thing can be done by all parties without exception so that the COVID-19 pandemic can be resolved soon.

"I ask for one simple thing, stay at home if there is no urgent need. Only with joint steps can we stop this epidemic", he said.

"Everyone must participate, all citizens must contribute. Without this unity we will not be able to stop the spread of COVID-19", added Jokowi.

As previously reported, President Jokowi has indeed encouraged the acceleration of the provision of COVID-19 vaccinations. He even targets that this June, 700 thousand people can be injected per day.

"We hope that this month, in June, the target for vaccinations per day of 700 thousand (dose, ed) can really be achieved. So that in July we have entered the target of vaccination per day of 1 million (dose, ed)", said Jokowi while monitoring the administration of vaccinations at University of Indonesia Hospital (RSUI) Depok which was broadcasted at the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube channel, Wednesday, June 9.

Meanwhile, based on data from the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) as of Tuesday, June 22 yesterday, 23.789.884 people had received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccination and 12.514.917 the second dose of vaccination. Meanwhile, the total target of vaccination stages 1 and 2 reached 40.349.049 people.