JAKARTA, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian President Joko Widodo has emphasized that the public health remains the government's top priority amid the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
Along with that priority, the government has also been taking measures to minimize the economic impact which has been battered by the global pandemic, he said.
"The public health must be the number one. It must be prioritized," he said in a statement uploaded to his official channel on YouTube on Sunday.
He also stressed that making the public health a priority does not mean the country has to sacrifice economic aspects.
"If we sacrifice the economy, it is the same as sacrificing the lives of tens of millions of people," said Widodo, who is commonly called Jokowi.
"This is not an option we can take. Again, we have to find the right balance," he added.
The president has called on his ministers to work harder in responding to the crisis and urged people to lodge complaints or deliver suggestions to his administration.
The Health Ministry announced 3,992 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Sunday, bringing the total number of infections nationwide to 303,498.
According to data released by the ministry on Sunday, 96 more people have died of the disease, bringing the death toll to 11,151. Enditem
