TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Presidential Palace on Thursday, May 7, clarified President Jokowi’s recent statement that called for people to make peace with the coronavirus or COVID-19 throughout the upcoming months.

Presidential secretariat spokesman Bey Machmudin said that the president is implying that people must persevere throughout the pandemic, which is seemingly not about to end in the near future.

“The vaccine to cure COVID-19 has indeed not been discovered but we can prevent ourselves from being infected. This means we shall not give up and must live in peace, which is a new readjustment in life,” said Bey to journalists on Thursday night.

He assures that the central government is constantly trying its best to eliminate the virus from the country but asks people to remain productive and adjust to what he considers as an unusual situation.

“This means that until an effective vaccine is discovered, we must make peace with COVID-19,” said the spokesman.

President Jokowi previously highlighted the fluctuating predictions from numerous experts regarding the end of the pandemic. He also noted that the reduced number of cases does not mean the curve has been flattened and that there might be possibilities of another resurgence.

The president also reminded people to abide by the health protocols. “All of this needs our collective discipline, from the people and authorities that work effectively and measured,” said Jokowi.

DEWI NURITA