Luhut, Who Reminded The Public To Be Ready For The New Normal

Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan. (Irfan Meidianto / VOI)

JAKARTA - The number of positive cases of COVID-19 in Indonesia has yet to show signs of abating. For that in the future, said Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, the public must be prepared for the phenomenon of The New Normal in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We must be ready for a new life or The New Normal by getting used to wearing masks, washing hands, and keeping a distance from other people in order to reduce the spread of this virus," said Luhut in a written statement, Friday, May 22.

Luhut also explained the terms of making peace with the corona virus or COVID-19. Luhut said, making peace with COVID-19 is essentially right, because according to WHO, this COVID-19 will not disappear until there is a vaccine.

"To make peace, the meaning is, to remain obedient to health protocols, the lifestyle of the community must change a lot in order to live a cleaner and healthier life. I ask that this really be disseminated to the community, especially to students to be conveyed to all elements of society," he explained. Luhut.

Luhut reminded that even though the COVID-19 graph had shown a decline in several countries, there were several new points that had emerged and research also showed a second wave.

"Therefore, we also need to be aware of the second wave. The public must also remain disciplined in implementing Large-Scale Social Restrictions (PSBB) and existing health protocols. This is very important for the whole community to understand," said Luhut.

Furthermore, Luhut said, currently the government's focus in handling COVID-19 is divided into two, namely curative aspects such as construction of emergency hospitals, allocation of central and regional government funds, and personal protective equipment.

Then, said Luhut, from a preventive and promotive perspective, it can be done through efforts such as the dissemination of information related to health promotion through social media and mass media, health promotion budget allocations, active supervision, and public health efforts.

Luhut also invited chancellors from various universities to socialize government programs in dealing with COVID-19 and also to focus on various strategies for the recovery of the economy of the people most severely affected by the pandemic.

Luhut explained that President Joko Widodo would launch products contributed by the research and innovation consortium on COVID-19 such as personal protective equipment (PPE) and other medical devices from universities in Indonesia.

"The president has ordered to use domestic products as much as possible. We encourage the knowledge from Indonesian students who are spread across various universities in Indonesia," said Luhut.