Indonesia Has Not Responded to WHO Lifting of Covid-19 Emergency Status

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The World Health Organization lifted the Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) for COVID-19 last week. So far, the Indonesian government has not announced its stance or policy in response to the announcement.

Indonesia's Covid-19 emergency status is set forth in a Presidential Decree (Keppres) No.11/2020 issued three years ago.

Health Minister Budi Gunadi Saikin said the decision to end the public health emergency status lies in the hands of President Joko Widodo.

"The president will decide, now that there is a statement from the World Health Organization (WHO). We will find the time," he said on Monday, May 8.

The WHO ended the emergency declaration on May 5, three years after it was announced on January 30, 2020. WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the decision after receiving input from the Emergency Committee International Health Regulations at the 15th meeting in Geneva, Switzerland.

Meanwhile, reports from the National Covid-19 Task Force stated that as of May 8 the number of confirmed cases increased by 1,149. This is below the WHO's safe limit for Indonesia, which is capped at 8,000 active cases per day.

In total, Indonesia currently has 17,829 cases with 21,909 specimens. The number of Covid deaths had risen by 21.

Antara

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