Speculations surrounding security issues in Papua has not dampened the confidence of Yunus Wonda, Executive Chair of the Papua 20th National Sports Week (PON) Committee. He is optimistic that with the support of the Papuan people and the military and the police combined, the quadrennial sports festival will proceed smoothly and safely.

An interview with a spokesperson for the national Covid-19 vaccination program, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, about the drastic decrease of the positivity rate of Covid-19 in Indonesia. How does that happen?

Since the start of the pandemic, BPOM Chief Penny Kusumastuti Lukito often found herself at the center of Covid-related polemics, from drug claims, emergency use authorizations, vaccines, ivermectin to the Nusantara vaccine. How does she deal with these?

President Joko Widodo appointed Coordinating Minister for the Economy Airlangga Hartarto to oversee the enforcement of multi-level public activity restrictions or PPKM outside Java and Bali following the surge in Covid-19 cases caused by the Delta variant. Amid the challenging job of managing the pandemic, Golkar Party’s Chair still manages to go on political canvassing trips to several regions.

National Police Chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo says that the police will first try mediation to resolve Electronic Information and Transactions Law violation cases. He advises investigators to distinguish between criticisms, hoaxes, libels or slanders and to process only cases that could not be settled through mediation.

Epidemiologist from the University of Indonesia’s Public Heath Faculty Iwan Ariawan says that the Level 1-4 public activity restrictions (PPKM) have been proven effective in slowing down the speed of Covid-19 transmission. Iwan who follows weekly virtual meetings with Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin and Maritime Affairs and Investment Coordinating Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan says that with increased testing and contact tracing ratios coupled with the second phase vaccination, the government hopes to rein in the pandemic in October or November.