Muhadjir Talks of "Trisula" Program to Contain COVID-19

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy stated the government had set a trident or a three-pronged spear program as a COVID-19 containment measure.

The first sector of the program is health, such as by preventing the further spread of virus transmission, curbing the virus spread, and accelerating the mitigation of the disease. The responsible authorities in this sector are the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) and the Ministry of Health.

“For this sector, we assume it is now on the right track and that is proved from the declining trend of infection cases,” said Muhadjir in an online press conference on Friday, May 8.

The second sector is the social safety net, which is the current main concern. Because, Muhadjir added, the distribution of social assistance was not optimal yet.

“While this social safety net is aimed at overcoming social emergencies due to COVID-19. The Social Ministry and the Ministry of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration will be the responsible parties,” Muhadjir said.

And the third sector is economic resilience. Muhadjir asserted that the government was striving to maintain the economy to survive in dealing with the pandemic. He likened the current economic condition to the hibernation of bears in the North Pole.

“This economic hibernation is like a polar bear entering winter. So, it has to sleep, save energy, slow down its heartbeat, and reduce as low as possible its body’s heat in order to survive and rise again after the winter ends,” Muhadjir Effendy explained.

DEWI NURITA