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War begins on coronavirus
With the announcement of the first infections on home soil, people are anxious about whether the two people testing positive for the virus are just the tip of the iceberg.
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Hospital staff and visitors wear mask at Sulianti Saroso Infection Hospital (RSPI Sulianti Suroso) isolation building in Jakarta, Monday, March 2, 2020.The Minister of Health stated that two Indonesian citizens were positively affected by the corona virus and were currently in the isolation room of the RSPI Sulianti Saroso. (JP/Seto Wardhana)
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resident Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s announcement on Monday of the first two confirmed cases of Indonesians contracting the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 in the country was much-anticipated, however, it will still have a number of consequences.
First and foremost, the announcement by the head of state implies the government’s intention to show not only the domestic audience but also the international community that it takes the outbreak seriously. The government, in return, demands public confidence in dealing with the virus, which has affected more than 60 countries worldwide and claimed over 3,000 lives.
Second, the President’s statement amounts to an official declaration of war on the virus. The debate had arisen as to whether Indonesia was ill-prepared for the epidemic given that it had failed to detect any infection more than one month after the virus began to spread from the Chinese city of Wuhan.
With the announcement of the first infections on home soil, people are anxious about whether the two people testing positive for the virus are just the tip of the iceberg. Indeed, the government will now trace who the 64-year-old woman and her 31-year-old daughter had been in contact with to discover any further infections.
The two residents of Depok, West Java, a city to the south of Jakarta, had been in contact with a Japanese citizen who tested positive in Malaysia on Feb. 27 after visiting Indonesia in early February. The health authorities discovered the first two infections also after conducting contact-tracing mechanisms.
Third, now that the virus has infected people in the country with a possibility of multiplying through human-to-human transmissions, it is time for the government to focus on curing those infected and minimizing the spread of the virus. The Health Ministry now takes the lead and will coordinate nationwide measures to win the battle against COVID-19.
The emphasis on health measures should be translated into the allocation of more funding and the use of all resources at the government’s disposal for the fight against the coronavirus. Attempts to “take advantage” of the epidemic, as evident in the recent stimulus to boost tourism, will divert from the endeavors to save vulnerable people, hence disrespecting human lives. Of course the virus has impacted the economy, but failure to address COVID-19 will be more devastating as it would further affect global confidence, including that of investors, in Indonesia.
The government has demonstrated its readiness by designating over 100 hospitals across the archipelago to deal with the disease. This should and will be followed by the deployment of health workers, who must race against time to protect the country from a health crisis. Coordination between the central and local governments will be key in this regard, particularly in disseminating tips to protect themselves, including how to live a healthy life to sustain one’s immune system.
Indonesia should not hesitate to learn or ask for assistance from other countries in winning this battle, even though we have survived previous outbreaks like Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and the Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), which are in the same family as COVID-19.
