Reinforcing Fort Against Covid-19

KOMPAS/RIZA FATHONI

Joint officers raided residents who violated the Compliance Operation of Enforcement of the Use of Mask or Ok Prend Regulations in the Pasar Senen area, Central Jakarta, Monday, (27/7/2020).

James Clavell in The Art of War: Sun Tzu stresses the importance of calculations in warfare. Any general can lose a war because they have done only a few calculations.

So important is developing calculations in The Art of War, written by Sun Tzu in 500 BC, that highly capable troops should be sent to spy on the enemy. By knowing the enemy\'s strengths and weaknesses, will we be able to move our troops quickly and precisely to surround, attack, defend or withdraw.

Regardless of the quality of a spy’s information, a general has the final say in terms of commanding the troops. Will the leader order the troops to refrain from attack and instead stand down, build a fortress, launch an offensive against certain targets with moderate arms and weapons, or instead order the troops to continue their attack, even without the proper weapons and armor?

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When the Covid-19 pandemic hit the international community, including Indonesia, the art of war was also relevant in calculating our response, especially for all leaders at all levels in the country, from heads of households to corporate heads, and certainly from regional heads on up to the head of state. Indeed, the Covid-19 virus is a supremely sophisticated enemy, its forces numerous, invisible, and deadly.

We need super-sophisticated spies to map its strengths, that is, computing machines that can collect live data superfast from the local to global scales. This data will help formulate a strategy to win the battle.

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Data from Worldometer, which collates data on Covid-19 cases in 215 countries, shows that Covid-19 is still a threat, but that it is starting to be brought under control. The number of new daily cases is still increasing around the world, averaging 259,000 cases per day. However, the fatality rate has begun to decline, now at 5,600 deaths per day. In April, the average rate exceeded 7,000 deaths per day. The development of Covid-19 drug therapies is still important, in addition to the speed of vaccine development.

A similar phenomenon occurred in Indonesia. The number of new daily cases in a week continues to increase at 1,800 new cases per day. The daily fatality rate has begun to flatten, averaging 68 Covid-19 deaths per day. On 25 July, the number of deaths exceeded 100. However, more and more people are becoming infected with Covid-19, including administrative leaders, with the latest being the Governor of the Riau Islands, while the speaker of the Jepara Legislative Council (DPRD) has succumbed to the disease. This should be a collective concern.

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Regarding the validity of the data, the World Health Organization (WHO) has highlighted the importance of data standardization. A minimum of 1,000 tests per week should be performed per 1 million of the population. We must be frank that not all regions have this capacity and the public must be made aware of this so as to avoid creating a false sense of security.

Furthermore, the leadership’s command is a determinant. Either keep pushing the troops to advance, attack or reinforce the fort while waiting for the delivery of armor (Covid-19 vaccine) and weapons (Covid-19 drug treatments).