Jakarta (ANTARA) – Healthy lifestyle, vaccination, and adherence to health protocols are paramount to entering the endemic stage of COVID-19, an official of the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Cultural Affairs stated.
“The government is currently conceiving a plan for the transition to the endemic stage of coronavirus to reduce the potential spread of the infection while restoring normalcy in daily activities,” the ministry’s Health Quality Enhancement and Development Department Deputy Head Agus Suprapto noted.
Society should take part in the transition plan by promoting vaccination, continuing adherence to health protocols, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle to improve personal health, he said in his written statement received in Jakarta on Thursday.
“We should have firm measures in place to enter the endemic stage by ensuring 70-percent national vaccination coverage, adhering to health protocols, and improving the implementation of 3T (testing, tracing, and treatment) that is executed by competent and trustworthy officers,” Suprapto expounded.
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The government continues to offer financial assistance to residents from the mid-to-low income group to alleviate their economic hardships, he noted.
“The financial assistance is important, as they should have economic resilience while partaking in the economic recovery. Chaos may ensue if their grievances and economic hardships are not properly addressed,” the deputy head emphasized.
Meanwhile, the COVID-19 Task Force Healthcare Handling Department Head Alexander Ginting expressed confidence of a recovery in public activities occurring in line with an improvement in the status of the public activity restriction enforcement (PPKM).
“I believe an improvement in the PPKM status to level 1 or 2 would lead to a recovery in economic, education, social and cultural activities, yet it does not mean health protocols must be relaxed,” Ginting stated.
Ginting also urged residents to play an active role in preventing COVID-19 infections while conducting public activities.
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