Palupi Annisa Auliani (editor) – The threat posed by the Covid-19 pandemic has distracted public attention. In the mist of the panic among the public, many strategic decisions on public policies have been taken without public involvement or participation.

Ihsanuddin, Jakarta – Covid-19 Task Force spokesperson Wiku Adisasmito has conceded that the positivity rate in Indonesia has continued to rise over time. The positivity rate is the ratio of positive cases compared with the number of tests conducted.

Jakarta – The acting director general for health services at the Health Ministry, Abdul Kadir, says that Indonesia no longer needs large scale social restrictions (PSBB), despite the fact that the corona virus (Covid-19) pandemic is not over yet.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Advocacy and Justice Action Campaign (AKSI) community admits that it is disappointed by an Agriculture Ministry (Kepmentan) decision to revise a 2020 ministerial decree that lists marijuana as a medicinal plant.

Sania Mashabi, Jakarta – Association of Indonesian Public Health Experts (IAKMI) board member Hermawan Saputra says that it is not the right time for the government to reopen cinemas while the corona virus pandemic or Covid-19 is still not under control.

Jakarta – Deputy Defense Minister Wahyu Sakti Trenggono says that the wars being waged at the moment are not always in the form of military or physical attacks.

Achmad Nasrudin Yahya, Jakarta – Indonesian Human Rights Watch (Imparsial) says that the government is overly simplifying the phrase “low level of nationalism” among young people by involving them in the National Defense Program.

Jakarta – Indonesian Education Monitoring Network (JPPI) National Coordinator Ubaid Matraji says that the military training on university campuses planned by the Defense Department could weaken student’s critical thinking.

Jakarta – The National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) suspects that an incident in which the director of the East Kalimantan chapter of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) and two other activists were forcibly taken to a local hospital for isolation had no relationship with Covid-19.

Jakarta, CNN Indonesia – The Indonesian Public Health Experts Association (IAKMI) has criticised the government for failing to involve professional healthcare organisations in dealing with the corona virus (Covid-19) pandemic.