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By Katharina R. Lestari
Catholic and Protestant leaders in Indonesia have called on Christians not to lose hope almost a year after the Covid-19 pandemic arrived in the country.
Indonesia has been hit hard by the pandemic since early March last year. Ten months on, the country had recorded 772,103 Covid-19 cases and 22,734 deaths.
“We just said goodbye to 2020 which was full of challenges. It was a tough year because the Covid-19 pandemic left us suffering and sorrowful,” Reverend Gomar Gultom, chairman of the Communion of Churches in Indonesia (PGI), said in a statement.
“The Covid-19 pandemic continues to haunt us, but we must not be pessimistic. Instead, we must see this situation as the right moment to spread love. With this spirit, we must maintain hope so that the Covid-19 pandemic will not lead us into despair.
Indonesia moves to curb virus surges
Java, Bali face stricter restrictions in latest bid to combat Covid-19 in high-risk areas
A nearly deserted I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar, Bali, on Dec. 28. Bali and Java are facing stricter anti-virus measures due to soaring Covid-19 cases. (Photo: Katharina R. Lestari/UCA News)
The Indonesian government will implement tighter measures to fight the coronavirus pandemic by imposing large-scale restrictions on high-risk Java and Bali islands for two weeks, according to a state official.
Coordinating Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto, who heads the country’s Covid-19 Handling and Economic Recovery Committee, told journalists in Jakarta on Jan. 6 that the measures will be imposed from Jan. 11-25 after dozens of countries around the globe imposed strict lockdowns amid surging cases triggered by a new and more contagious variant of the virus.
Indonesian government calls off New Year
Three-week ban imposed on public gatherings, including ushering in 2021, in bid to curb Covid-19 infections
Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan says the government has decided to ban New Year’s Eve celebrations and other events involving large crowds starting from Dec. 18. (Photo courtesy of Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investments Ministry)
The Indonesian government has banned New Year Eve’s celebrations and other events involving large crowds over the next three weeks to prevent a spike in coronavirus cases.
The ban will take effect on Dec. 18 and will last until Jan. 8, according to Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, the coordinating maritime affairs and investments minister.