COVID-19: WHO urges Indonesia to launch tougher restrictions
The World Health Organization (WHO) on July 22 urged Indonesia to implement a stricter and wider lockdown to combat soaring COVID-19 infections and deaths.
A health worker takes care of a COVID-19 patient in Jakarta (Photo: Xinhua/VNA)
Jakarta (VNA) - The World Health Organization (WHO)on July 22 urged Indonesia to implement a stricter and wider lockdown to combat soaring COVID-19 infections and deaths.
The recommendation came just days after Indonesian PresidentJoko Widodo flagged the easing of restrictions, Reuters reported.
Indonesia has become one of the epicentres of the globalpandemic in recent weeks, with positive COVID-19 cases leaping five-fold in thepast five weeks. This week, daily deaths hit record highs over 1,300, among thehighest tolls in the world.
In its latest situation report, WHO said the strictimplementation of public health and social restrictions were crucial and calledfor additional "urgent action" to address sharp rises in infectionsin 13 of Indonesia's 34 provinces.
Under Indonesia's partial lockdown, social restrictions suchas work-from-home and closed malls are limited to the islands of Java and Baliand small pockets in other parts of the country. Large sectors of the economydeemed critical or essential are exempt from most, or some, of the lockdownmeasures.
Indonesia's daily positivity rate, the proportion of peopletested who are infected, has averaged 30 percent over the past week even ascases numbers have fallen. A level above 20 percent meant "very high"transmissibility, WHO said.
Aceh is the only locality in Indonesia's provinces recordinga positivity rate under 20 percent, at 19 percent, it added./.
In the first half of 2021, the export turnover of the Indonesian manufacturing sector increased by 33.45 percent year-on-year to 81.07 billion USD, contributing 78.80 percent of the country's total export value of 102.87 billion USD.
The Indonesian government has decided to raise budget spending on health care and social protection to over 214.9 trillion rupiah from the previous 93.93 trillion rupiah (nearly 6.5 billion USD) within the framework of the national economic recovery (PEN).
Indonesian Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly has said foreign workers involved in the national strategic projects starting July 21 are not allowed to enter the country, as the government has expanded restrictions to curb the surge in COVID-19 cases.
Indonesian Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani Indrawati said on July 21 that there are four major risks that may hinder the recovery of the global economy from the first half of 2021.
Several ASEAN meetings are scheduled to take place in Port Dickson this September, including the Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM) for ASEAN Plus Three (APT), the East Asia Summit (EAS), the 15th ASEAN Maritime Forum, and the 13th Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum.
Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has ordered the urgent implementation of a national policy to crack down on all forms of call centre scams, online fraud, and illegal gambling, which are now considered threats to national security.
Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto and EAEU Trade Minister Andrey Slepnev jointly declared the conclusion of FTA talks on the sidelines of the 28th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2025), according to the statement.
The article stressed that throughout his revolutionary career, the founder of modern Vietnam consistently regarded the revolutionary press as a vital part of the Vietnamese Party’s and nation’s revolutionary struggle.
Pichai said the trade talks with the US are important and need to move forward professionally, without regard for any political changes in Thailand, believing that Thailand has clear principles, guidelines and procedures in place.
The tax adjustment supports the Malaysian Government’s strategy to reduce reliance on foreign food supply chains and to assist domestic farmers, a finance official has said.
The proposed venue is located in the Chatuchak area of Bangkok, featuring eight public sites, including Krungthep Aphiwat Central Terminal and several nearby parks.
Connectivity is expected to improve further with the completion of the fifth Laos–Thailand Friendship Bridge by the end of 2025, facilitating logistics and agricultural exports to Vietnam, Thailand, and China.
Two naval gunboats intercepted a fishing vessel carrying 1.5 tonnes of methamphetamine hydrochloride off the coast of the main island of Luzon just before dawn, in a joint operation with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
In the today context of socio-economic development and growth, the professionalism of Vietnam’s revolutionary journalists continues to rise, guided by exemplary mastery of new information technologies and the modernisation of their founding principles to preserve the enduring values of revolutionary journalism.
Thai Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Vuttikrai Leewiraphan Thailand's formal proposal will be substantial enough for the US to consider further detailed negotiations. He hoped for a tariff rate not exceeding 10% and suggested that the US might extend the negotiation period if an agreement is not reached by the July 8 deadline.
Organised by the Ministry of Culture and the Association of Thai Silk & Culture Promotions, the event honors Her Majesty the Queen on her 47th birthday anniversary and promotes Thai craftsmanship on an international stage.
Prensa Latina's recent article on Vietnam’s assurance of smooth and effective transition to a leaner structure highlighted Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s latest directions on implementing 28 resolutions regarding the decentralisation and delegation of authority.
The lab focuses on four key thematic areas: energy transition and green innovation, sustainable agriculture, circular economy and sustainable cities, and nature-based solutions and biodiversity.
The key content of the document titled "Accelerating Innovative Strategies: Addressing the OOSCY Challenges" will be refined further in a seminar preceding the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur this October.
This follows Telegram’s serious failure to address the content that has been repeatedly reported to them, despite various efforts of negotiation and cooperation made by MCMC, it said.
Efforts to empower women must transcend dialogue and translate into concrete commitments, including corporate pledges and government partnerships, according to the spouse of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
The forum featured two in-depth discussion sessions, engaging representatives from governments, think tanks, and businesses from both ASEAN and China, on how to forge closer ties for a common future.
A health worker takes care of a COVID-19 patient in Jakarta (Photo: Xinhua/VNA) 
