With the increasingly widespread COVID-19 transmission, the government needs to take a progressive measure to safeguard public safety. Imposing a regional quarantine or limited lockdown needs to be considered.
By
KOMPAS TEAM
·5 minutes read
KOMPAS/AGUS SUSANTO
Officers of the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) check the disinfectant liquid in the emergency warehouse for mitigating COVID-19 at the PMI’s central office in South Jakarta on Friday (27/3/2020). The emergency logistics warehouse, among others, accommodated 120 water tankers that are modified into disinfecting vehicles, spraying equipment, disinfecting liquids and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for medical personnel.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS - The spread of the novel coronavirus, which has affected many parts of the country, requires more progressive measures from the government to protect people. One of the options to be considered is to impose a quarantine or a lockdown in areas that have become centers of the spread of COVID-19. However, careful preparation is needed before imposing the lockdown policy.
The fast response team for the handling of COVID-19 reported on Friday (3/27/2020) that the total number of confirmed cases had increased to 1,046 people and the death toll had risen to 87 people. These cases were found in 28 provinces, with the highest number of cases reported in Jakarta with 598 cases, followed by West Java with 98 cases, Banten with 84 cases and East Java with 66 cases.
According to a government spokesman for the fast response team for the handling of COVID-19, Achmad Yurianto, the increase in the number of confirmed cases showed that social restrictions and social distancing policy imposed by the government had not been effective.
With this condition, a number of parties recommended a more aggressive measure such as by imposing a regional lockdown in areas that have become centers of the COVID-19 outbreak, such as Jakarta and West Java.
Officers disinfect motorcyclists and their vehicles from the direction of Sidoarjo on Jalan Ahmad Yani, Surabaya city, East Java, Friday (27/3/2020). The intensity of disinfecting continues to be increased by a number of parties to help curb the spread of COVID-19. For the sake of social distancing, Jl. Darmo and J. Tunjungan are closed to traffic from Friday to Sunday.
In a recommendation to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, the board of lecturers at the School of Medicine at the University of Indonesia suggested the government impose a regional quarantine or lockdown as an option to prevent the spread of COVID-19. A regional quarantine is carried out for a minimum of 14 days in provinces that have become the centers of the transmission of the disease. In addition to being able to break the chain of transmission of the disease, the imposition of the regional quarantine can enable the government to more easily calculate the needs for resources for treatment in hospitals, such as human resources, personal protective equipment, and other facilities.
"We suggest a regional quarantine because social restrictions are ineffective," Ari Fahrial Syam, the professor who is also the dean of the School of Medicine at the University of Indonesia said in Jakarta on Friday.
The regional quarantine also needs to be done to prevent the movement of the people from Greater Jakarta to regions, which has begun to intensify. "If it is not resolved immediately, the exodus can cause an explosion of infections in the regions and can no longer be handled by our health services," he said.
The secretary-general of the Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI), Adib Khumaidi, said that regional quarantines would make medical services more effective. "Health services are paralyzed if the coronavirus cases explode everywhere," he said.
Traffic is smooth on major roads and inner-city toll roads in the Mampang area, South Jakarta, Friday (27/3/2020). Appeals to work from home to curb the spread of COVID-19 has resulted in empty streets.
According to the chairman of IDI, Daeng M. Faqih, the number of COVID-19 patients must be reduced because the capacity of medical personnel and health facilities is limited.
Similar recommendations were made by health experts during a discussion on strategies to overcome COVID-19 which also involved the fast response team for the handling of COVID-19 and the cabinet secretary on March 16, 2020. The chairman of the association of Indonesian pulmonary specialists also took part in the discussion, Akmal Taher.
Akmal Taher believes that the policy of social restrictions to prevent COVID-19 transmission is still weak. Strict sanctions are needed for the community to limit the movement of people within and between regions. Eijkman deputy director Herawati Supolo Sudoyo said that with a regional quarantine, the task of medical and laboratory personnel in screening and treating patients will be easier. However, the policy must be followed by a massive examination and the tracking of patient contact history. "All the laboratories referred were overwhelmed with analyzing the samples, let alone the stock of reagents and tools for swabs running low," he said.
KOMPAS/FERGANATA INDRA RIATMOKO
Residents disinfect areas in Kuncen hamlet, Ngablak village, Ngablak district, Magelang regency, Central Java, Friday (27/3/2020). The disinfectant was provided by hamlet-level officials to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Well prepared
According to the newly elected chairman of the Association of Indonesian Public Health Experts, Ede Surya Darmawan, if a regional quarantine is put in place, there must be preparations to guarantee the basic needs of residents, a referral system with the pick-up of the patients to the hospital, and close supervision.
The government must consider the compensation of bus crews and workers if public buses serving regional routes cannot be allowed to operate.
Incentives can be given to public transportation businesses. "The incentive for bus owners can be in the form of delays in loan installments," said the chairman of the Advocacy and Society of the Indonesian Transportation Society Center, Djoko Setijowarno.
Indef in its latest study encourages the urgency of regional quarantine to prevent the spread of COVID-19. M. Rizal Taufikurahman, the head of the center of macroeconomics and finance at Indef emphasized that, although it would hit the regional economy, protecting human beings was more important.
KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO
Security guards direct a resident who was being sterilized in a portable sterilization booth at the entrance of the Carissa housing complex, Graha Raya, South Tangerang, Friday (27/3/2020). Every citizen and guest who enters the housing complex must be sterilized. Citizens banded together to provide the sterilization service to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Politics, Law and Security Coordinating Minister Mahfud MD said that regional quarantine cannot be imposed without the issuance of a technical regulation. Therefore, referring to Law No. 6/2018 on Health Quarantine, the government must issue a government regulation (PP) if it wants to impose a regional quarantine.
"According to the law, there must be a PP. If we impose the quarantine without legal base, it will violate the law and can be sued in court," said Mahfud. The legal umbrella for such a purpose is scheduled for completion next week.
