Antara, Jakarta – Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin on Tuesday, Feb. 9, revealed the reason why he thinks it is necessary to involve the military or armed forces (TNI) and police to suppress the spread of Covid-19 in Indonesia. He also likens the pandemic as a war.

"The Covid-19 pandemic is a war against the SARSCov-2 virus, which is why we (the health ministry) work together with the TNI commander and National Police chief to handle the war," said Budi Gunadi Sadikin in his presence in the preparation of Covid vaccinators and tracers at the TNI headquarters in East Jakarta on February 9. "This war must start with a clear goal, which is to suppress the growth of the virus."

The health minister claims the special testing and tracing operation they prepared utilizes the special role represented by intelligence from both military and police to intercept the viral spread from a broader exposure area.

He also believes both institutions have the capability and human resources to mobilize personnel deep into communities, or grass root levels, to stop the spread of coronavirus.

"[TNI and police] intelligence used to conduct physical surveillance and tapped phones, but now they use test kits," he said.

Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/1431205/health-ministry-intelligence-utilized-for-covid-19-tracing-testin