TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
COVID-19: Government to distribute 100,000 protective equipment to medical workers
Jakarta medical personnel will be prioritized and the first to receive the protective gear, having recorded the biggest increase in infections and deaths.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
An officer in a protective suit conducts a simulation in handling COVID-19 patients at Pertamina Plaju Hospital Palembang in South Sumatra on March 12. (Antara/Feny Selly)
T
he government will distribute 100,000 personal protective equipment such as masks, gloves and hazmat suits to medical workers treating COVID-19 patients to better safeguard them against the disease,
The death toll from COVID-19 in Indonesia has risen to 48, with 10 more deaths among the 514 cases reported nationwide, Health Ministry disease control and prevention director general Achmad Yurianto announced on Sunday.
Jakarta medical personnel will be prioritized and the first to receive the protective gear, having recorded the biggest increase in infections and deaths. Six new fatalities on Sunday brings the total number of related deaths in the capital to 29.
According to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), the government has distributed around 40,000 protective equipment to the Jakarta administration.
Read also: COVID-19: As Jakarta braces for lockdown, Bali reports zero local transmissions
Around 25,000 will be sent to Semarang in Central Java, Surabaya in East Java and Bali on Monday. Central Java, East Java and Bali have recorded 15, 41 and three cases, respectively.
Another 25,000 will be distributed to Banten, Bogor and other areas in West Java as the closest regions to Jakarta. Banten and West Java have recorded 47 and 59 cases, respectively.
“[Meanwhile], 10,000 units will be stored as backup,” BNPB spokesperson Agus Wibowo said in a statement on Monday. “Each Regional Military Command, as the Regional Task Force [for COVID-19] will receive the protective gear and distribute them,” he added.
A shortage of protective gear has affected hospitals across the country as they struggle to handle a rapidly increasing number of COVID-19 patients and suspects, with some resorting to donations. (mfp)
