Kasuari Military Commander Gives A Firm Message About Emergency PPKM In West Papua: Don't Think Profit And Loss, It's A Humanity Problem!

Army members from Pomdam XVIII/Kasuari, Kodim 1801/Manokwari, Battalion 761/KA (Photo: ANTARA/HO)

PAPUA - Regional Military Commander (Pangdam) XVIII/Kasuari Major General I Nyoman Cantiasa invites West Papuans to be aware of the surge in positive cases of COVID-19 that has occurred in the last few days.

The West Papua region has entered an alert status, considering the condition of hospitals in Manokwari starting to fill up. Meanwhile in Sorong, 65 percent of the hospital's capacity has been filled with patients.

“What can save West Papua is ourselves, not others. The implementation of the Emergency PPKM is especially carried out in Sorong and Manokwari," said the Military Commander in front of hundreds of joint TNI-Polri and Satpol PP personnel as reported by Antara, Saturday, July 10.

The Pangdam ordered his staff to tighten the barriers to reduce mobility during the PPKM Emergency Balance in effect in West Papua.

"Tell our brothers and sisters here, don't think about profit and loss. This is a humanitarian problem. Remind them that our current status is Emergency PPKM to save the community," said Cantiasa.

The West Papua Provincial Government has also implemented Emergency PPKM in several areas to suppress the spread of COVID-19. Related to this policy, the Provincial Government together with the TNI and Polri have built checkpoints at ports and airports to monitor the inflow and outflow of residents.

Reports from checkpoint officials showed that there were around 10 arrivals who were confirmed positive for COVID-19.

Therefore, he asked the public to refrain from activities outside the home and strictly implement health protocols.

The health protocols include wearing masks, washing hands, maintaining distance, staying away from crowds, and reducing mobility.