Jakarta – The Ministry of Health has issued Circular Letter Number SR.03.01/C/1422/2025 which emphasizes the importance of increasing vigilance in all regions. This step was taken as a form of anticipation of a possible spike in cases, with the emergence of new variants such as NB.1.8.1 in Australia and the dominance of the MB.1.1 variant in Indonesia, which is part of the Omicron family with a lower level of severity.
Chairman of the Honorary Council of the Indonesian Lung Doctors Association, Prof. Tjandra Yoga Aditama, reminded the public not to be careless about the potential spread of the virus. The situation in Samut Prakan, Thailand, where several schools have returned to online learning due to a spike in cases.
“The increase in cases in several Southeast Asian countries should be a reminder for Indonesia not to ignore the potential spread of the virus,” he said.
Meanwhile, Head of the South Jakarta Health Sub-agency, Yudi Dimyati, said that his party had made prevention efforts by strengthening screening and case tracking.
“The government has conducted screening and case tracking,” he said.
Yudi also appealed to people who have not been vaccinated to immediately complete the COVID-19 vaccine dose, especially vulnerable groups such as the elderly and patients with comorbidities. In addition, he emphasized the importance of continuing to implement health protocols.
“The public is advised to continue to maintain light health protocols, such as washing hands, wearing masks when sick or in crowded places and maintaining distance if experiencing flu symptoms,” he said.
Chairwoman of Commission IX of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Felly Estelita Runtuwene, also supports the government’s anticipatory steps. According to her, preventive measures such as wearing masks and maintaining hand hygiene remain effective in suppressing the spread of the virus, especially amid the increasing trend of cases in other countries.
“We already know how not to get COVID by implementing the health protocols that we have done before. Take care of your health, wear a mask in crowds, especially for those of you who are not feeling well. This is very important, because if we are not feeling well, not getting enough sleep, we are easily infected with certain viruses,” he explained.
The government emphasized that although the trend of cases in Indonesia has decreased, from 28 cases in the 19th week to only three cases in the 20th week with a positive rate of 0.59 percent, vigilance remains key. The public is expected to revive clean and healthy living habits and play an active role in preventing the spread of the virus.
