Don\'t Repeat PSBB Failure

Kompas/Yuniadhi Agung

Passengers waiting for the commuter train at Tanah Abang Station in Central Jakarta during work hours on Friday (11/9/2020). The Covid-19 transmission rate in Jakarta remains high despite efforts by residents to protect themselves. Therefore, the Jakarta Provincial government will again implement large-scale social restrictions starting Monday, 14 September 2020, to curb the spread of Covid-19.

The high rate of infections has necessitated a reinstatement of large-scale social restrictions (PSBB). However, without resolving the accumulated responsibilities, the PSBB will again be in vain.

The decision, which comes with pros and cons, is to be implemented again in the Jakarta area starting on 14 September 2020. On the one hand, restrictions on social activities are needed to control transmission. On the other hand, the effectiveness of the PSBB is questionable, given that the three months of PSBB at the beginning of the pandemic did not significantly reduce case numbers.

Also read: Covid-19 Becoming Uncontrollable

As of Friday (11/9/2020), the number of confirmed cases reached 207,203. Of that total, 51,237 were in treatment, 147,510 recovered, and 8,456 have died. After six months of the pandemic, the death rate is still 4.1 percent, higher than the global average of 3.24 percent. Likewise, the positivity ratio is still 19 percent, indicating a high rate of transmission. This is cause for concern.

Looking back, a number of mistakes have plunged us into this situation, the most important one being to carry out the PSBB without the 3T: testing, tracing and treatment. The World Health Organization (WHO) report from 9 September 2020 states that, up to the present, the number of national tests has not even reached half of the minimum threshold of 1 per 1,000 people per week.

An Indonesian epidemiologist at Griffith University, Dicky Budiman, said that, if the test is like a net and Covid-19 is the fish, then the large number of fish caught with a small net indicates there are many fish in the pond. This means the number of Covid-19 cases is still very high (Kompas, 31/8/2020).

KOMPAS/RIZA FATHONI

=A police officer holds a banner appealing to residents to abide by health protocol at the Block A area of Tanah Abang Market in Central Jakarta on Friday (11/9/2020). Traders hope that the large-scale social restrictions policy will not entail a total closure of the trading hub.

The absence of supervision and sanctions for violators of health protocol and the provisions of the PSBB have seen many residents go about their activities as if there was no pandemic that needed to be watched out for. On the streets, in markets, in residential areas, it is easy to find people gathering without paying attention to the distance or wearing masks. This is not to mention the inconsistent policies of region heads, which even increase the risk of transmission, such as the application of the odd-even traffic policy, the reduction in public transportation services and the issuance of permits for demonstrations.

Also read: Health Protocol to Boost the Economy

The dissemination of information on Covid-19 in terms that are far from easy to understand has added to the complexity of the problem. So, while the coronavirus is spreading around us, the people behave as if there is no problem. Therefore, if the PSBB are implemented again, there will be a lot of work to be done by the central and regional governments.

Implement the 3T as broadly and massively as possible, so that the real condition is understood and the chain of transmission is stopped.

Besides economic guarantees that must reach those who have lost their livelihoods, simple language is needed to explain the disease through various communication platforms, also involving traditional, religious and community leaders. Implement the 3T as broadly and massively as possible, so that the real condition is understood and the chain of transmission is stopped.

Don\'t waste the PSBB again, especially those who have made sacrifices by staying at home.