TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has reiterated his call to all citizens to keep calm and disciplined in implementing the government's health protocols to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the country.

He also urges the people at large to reduce their unnecessary activities in the midst of exponential growth of cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant in Indonesia.

"I call on the people at large to stay calm, disciplined in implementing the health protocols, and reduce their unnecessary activities," he was quoted as saying on his official Twitter account here Sunday.

As predicted, an increase in daily COVID-19 cases in Indonesia has almost reached the peak of those in July 2021, President Jokowi said.

Omicron is more transmissible but its infection fatality rate is less severe than that of Delta variant, he said while urging unvaccinated Indonesians to get vaccinated immediately.

"The COVID-19 vaccine booster shots are also needed for eligible persons who fully get vaccinated," he said.

In the midst of an Omicron surge, the Indonesian authorities reported 55,209 new cases on February 12, 2022, bringing the tally since the government announced the country's first COVID-19 cases on March 2, 2020, to some 4,763,252.

As of February 12, 2022, some 135.2 million Indonesians have fully been vaccinated while the number of recipients of booster shots has reached 6.8 million.

ANTARA had reported earlier that Indonesia's first Omicron case was announced by Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin on December 16, 2021.

The first person to be infected with the new variant was a janitor working at Wisma Atlet Kemayoran emergency hospital for COVID-19, he stated.

The case was detected after three workers at the hospital tested positive for COVID-19, he noted.

In response to the detection of the first Omicron case, President Jokowi had urged people to stay calm.

"It is important to be vigilant, but do not panic," he emphasized while adding that so far, the Omicron variant had not caused severe symptoms, especially in patients, who have been vaccinated.

He also urged Indonesians to get vaccinated without delay to protect themselves and to continue implementing strict health protocols.

To stem the spread of the new variant of COVID-19, a senior legislator urged the Indonesian government to increase surveillance at international travel entry points at airports across the country.

"Omicron cases have been found in Indonesia. Hence, we need to remain on alert at our travel entry points, especially our international airports," Saleh Partaonan Daulay said.

Read: Covid-19 Update: Indonesia Reports 55,209 Cases, 107 Deaths

ANTARA