Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) on Saturday highlighted the importance of fostering the spirit of "gotong royong”, or mutual cooperation, to fight the spread of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
"The government cannot work alone. The entire nation's participation is indispensable," President Jokowi said in a video statement from the Bogor Presidential Palace.
He said the current situation has obviously left people ill at ease. But, with the spirit of "goyong royong", Indonesia would be able to come out of the current crisis, he added.
The President said he felt Indonesia would emerge as an even more powerful nation that would be better prepared for charting a brighter future.
He urged citizens to show the spirit of mutual cooperation across the country by helping one another.
"The caring and sharing movement must be made public. This is not aimed at showing off, but at keeping hope alive, and inspiring others to do the same good deeds," he noted.
President Jokowi also reiterated his call for working and studying from home, as well as performing religious obligations at home.
As of Saturday, Indonesia has reported 6,248 confirmed cases, with 631 patients fully recovering from COVID-19. Meanwhile, the death toll from the deadly virus has so far reached 535.
Spokespersons for the Indonesian Government's Task Force for the Accelerated Handling of COVID-19, Achmad Yurianto, had earlier said that COVID-19 infections have continued to spread.
"So, please let us all participate in efforts to curtail the virus' spread by heeding to the government's calls for staying at home, practicing social distancing, and wearing face masks," he urged.
According to Yurianto, the task force has, so far, examined 45,378 clinical specimens for coronavirus at 35 laboratories, while the total number of examined cases has been recorded at 39,422.
Currently, in the 34 provinces, there are 176,344 people under monitoring and 12,979 patients under surveillance, he said, adding that all patients under surveillance must be closely monitored.
Jakarta remains Indonesia's COVID-19 epicenter, with the highest number of confirmed cases. As of Saturday, the capital city has recorded 2,924 confirmed cases, with 205 recoveries and 253 deaths.
With COVID-19 infections spreading to all 34 provinces in the country, President Joko Widodo has declared the coronavirus outbreak a national disaster.
