What the Government Has in Store for Pandemic to Endemic Transition

JAKARTA, DDTCNews – The government has begun preparing to undertake measures to transition from the Covid-19 pandemic to an endemic.

Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said the transition from the pandemic to endemic may begin to be prepared because Covid-19 cases in Indonesia continue to decline. In addition, Indonesia is also included in the top 5 countries with the highest Covid-19 vaccination rate in the world.

“We witnessed 1,678 daily cases as of 15 October, and based on global Rt [reproduction number] data, the average is 1, thereby, the government believes that steps may be prepared towards ab endemic,” he said, quoted on Tuesday (10/18/2022).

Airlangga in his presentation on endemic management stated that the timing of determining the Covid-19 pandemic to be an endemic must be based on indicators of transmission rates, treatments and deaths. In addition, the endemic must also be determined based on experts’ agreement.

In this case, the government will perform surveillance of cases, treatments and deaths; genomic surveillance; setting mitigation policy thresholds; and modeling for epidemic prediction. Next, severe Covid-19 cases or deaths must also be reduced through a measurable vaccination program; the first, second, and so forth booster vaccinations if needed; guaranteed availability of drugs and oxygen; and administering cases based on current evidence.

On the other hand, there are measures to keep transmission low by carrying out an adequate number of tests and easy access; provision and education of independent rapid antigen tests; preventing people from risking entry into public places; modifying workplaces and public places; immediate epidemic investigations; and close contact tracing and isolation.

Airlangga explained that the government has also prepared key strategies and policies to maintain the momentum of growth and national economic recovery, among others, through the ease of community mobility in line with the control of Covid-19.

Further, the government employs fiscal instruments as shock absorbers, specifically, by providing social aid to increase people’s purchasing power and maintain domestic energy prices.

“The government continuously encourages various policies, specifically, to encourage the ease of people’s mobility and various fiscal policies that function as shock absorbers,” he claimed.

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) had formerly stated that the Covid-19 pandemic would end soon and turn into an endemic. He assessed that various indicators have shown that the pandemic has subsided.

Nevertheless, economic recovery will continue to face challenges due to heated global geopolitical tensions. (sap)