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Jokowi says COVID-19 under control, but urges caution
Behind his brown mask, he could be seen wearing a wide smile as he appeared from behind the banqueting hall of the State Palace, greeting more than a dozen journalists who sat in a circle.
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President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo tells the press on Sept. 15, 2021 that COVID-19 is under control in most parts of the country. (Cabinet Secretariat/Muchlis Jr)
President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo was in a good mood on Wednesday evening.
Behind his brown mask, he could be seen wearing a wide smile as he appeared from behind the banqueting hall of the State Palace, greeting more than a dozen journalists who sat in a circle.
Even when fielding questions regarding sensitive topics like whether he intended to extend his term or the authoritarian streak that he has demonstrated by ordering a crackdown on government critics, he responded with smiles and banter.
Jokowi appeared eager to deliver the good news himself and when the question-and-answer session wrapped up two hours later, he decided to linger for another 30 minutes to discuss a number of issues, until a member of his security detail ushered him out of the room.
"I know that Pak Luhut [Binsar Panjaitan] and Pak Budi [Gunadi Sadikin] have all been receiving calls from foreign governments regarding our ability to curb COVID-19," said the President during the meeting, referring to the Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister and Health Minister, respectively, who have been at the forefront of the country's efforts to deal with COVID-19.
The President also took his time to run through slides showing the latest data about the COVID-19 situation in the country, which were projected onto a giant LCD screen set up on the edge of the hall.
"Experts had predicted that by this September we could have up to 400,000 daily cases and if that happened, I can't imagine what the situation would look like [...] but today we’re only recording a little over 2,000 cases," Jokowi said.
