Solo to Quarantine Returnees Starting 20 December

KOMPAS/ERWIN EDHI PRASETYA

A number of passengers got off the bus at Tirtonadi Terminal, Solo, Central Java, Thursday (16/5/2019).

SOLO, KOMPAS—The Solo municipal administration in Central Java is imposing a quarantine policy on returning residents that goes into effect on Sunday (20/12/2020). The policy does not apply to returnees who can present negative results from a Covid-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) swab test, tourists staying at hotels in the city and visitors who are traveling to Solo for business or family purposes.

"Based on the results of our meeting, the quarantine policy will be effective starting 20 December 2020," said Solo Mayor F.X. Hadi Rudyatmo on Wednesday afternoon (16/12), following a meeting with the Covid-19 task force at City Hall.

Also read: Avoid Case Spikes, Stay at Home for the Holidays

Earlier, the Solo administration announced its plans to quarantine travelers during the Christmas and New Year holidays starting on Tuesday (15/12) to reduce the risk of a spike in Covid-19 cases. However, this policy was shelved because it did not have a legal basis.

Mayor Rudyatmo said that residents who planned to return to Solo must present their negative results from a PCR swab test. Currently, the PCR test is the standard for detecting whether a person has contracted the virus or not.

The reason was because a non-reactive rapid test result did not prove that a person was not infected with Covid-19.

Rudyatmo added that the validity period of the PCR test results was three days from the date the swab was taken. He also said that according to the quarantine policy for returning residents, the results from a rapid antigen test would not be accepted. The reason was because a non-reactive rapid test result did not prove that a person was not infected with Covid-19.

Kompas

FX Hadi Rudyatmo

The Solo administration is coordinating with the Jogo Tonggo task force at the community unit (RW) level to enforce the new policy. The Jogo Tonggo task force is to report any returning residents who arrive in the area to the Solo Covid-19 task force.

If the returning residents do not bring their swab test result as evidence that they tested negative for Covid-19, they will be picked up by officers of the Solo Covid-19 task force and taken to the Solo Technopark quarantine facility. The Solo administration set up the quarantine facility at Solo Technopark some time ago.

Rudyatmo emphasized that the quarantine policy only applied to returning residents. Tourists and visitors traveling to Solo for business or family purposes would not be quarantined. The quarantine policy did not apply to tourists, because they would be staying at hotels that had implemented the health protocols.

Also read: Keep Sharing Despite Pandemic

Solo Tourism Office head Hasta Gunawan said that most hotels in Solo had already obtained certification for cleanliness, health, safety and environmental sustainability (CHSE). Sucofindo, a state-owned certification and auditing company, provided the CHSE certification with support from the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry.

Welcoming tourists

A number of tourist spots are also preparing to welcome tourists by tightening their supervisory measures for health protocol compliance. General manager I Gusti Putu Ngurah Sedana of the Borobudur Temple Tourism Park in Magelang regency said the park would prioritize its supervision of tourists who came to tour the grounds of Borobudur Temple.

KOMPAS/P RADITYA MAHENDRA YASA

Visitors sit in a tent in De Loano, Sedayu village, Loano district, Purworejo regency, Central Java, Tuesday (15/10/2019). This is part of the ecotourism site developed by state forest company Perum Perhutani and the Borobudur Authority Agency. The tourist attraction is equipped with various facilities for visitors.

"In the meantime, we are readying 10 supervisors, and 10 additional supervisors will be provided in an emergency when there are many visitors," he said. In addition to reminding visitors to keep their masks on, the supervisors would focus on maintaining physical distance between visitors.

Borobudur Conservation Center head Wiwit Kasiyati said that in order to prevent crowding, the number of visitors on the grounds of Borobudur Temple at one time would be limited to a maximum of 200 people. Other visitors must wait until those in the temple grounds had left the area, and then they would be allowed to enter.

"The number of visitors will be regulated, limited by the officers on duty at the entrance to the courtyard," she said.

Also read: Safeguarding Initial Global Steps in Pandemic Recovery

Anticipating the potential risk of an increase in Covid-19 transmission during the year-end holidays over Christmas on 25 Dec. 2020 and the New Year, Mayor Tri Rismaharini of Surabaya, the East Java capital, has issued two circulars to urge residents not to travel outside the city limits as a way to stop the spread of Covid-19.

"Surabaya residents should not vacation outside the city. They should just stay at home and do activities [like] farming or other activities that do not create crowds,” said Risma.

Kompas/Bahana Patria Gupta

Surabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharini during a briefing to the Director of Hospitals and Puskesmas in Surabaya regarding the handling of Covid-19 in Surabaya at the Surabaya City Hall, Surabaya, East Java, Wednesday (1/7/2020).

The first to be issued was Surabaya Mayor Circular (SE) No. 443/11047/436.8.4/2020, which is addressed to persons in charge, employers, company managers and businesses. The circular is a follow-up to Home Minister SE No. 440/5876/SJ dated 21 Oct. 2020 on the Anticipation of Covid-19 Transmission over the Holidays and Communal Leave in 2020. The second circular, Surabaya Mayor SE No. 443/11048/436.8.4/2020, is addressed to the heads of community/neighborhood units (RW/RT), homeowners and apartment managers, developers and housing managers. In accordance with the instruction of Home Minister Tito Karnavian and the Covid-19 public health emergency, all workers, including civil servants in the Surabaya municipal administration, are asked not to travel outside the Surabaya city limits on holiday.

"[They should] gather with family in their own homes," said Risma.

Meanwhile, the Banyuwangi regency administration has not tightened its restrictions for the year-end holidays, although Banyuwangi is currently categorized as a high-risk area, or Covid-19 red zone.

The policy could potentially create a backlog of tourists stuck in Banyuwangi, East Java, unable to cross the narrow strait in the Bali Sea to the resort island.

This is different from the Bali provincial administration, which has tightened its travel restrictions for visitors to Bali from 18 Dec. 2020 to 4 Jan. 2021. The policy could potentially create a backlog of tourists stuck in Banyuwangi, East Java, unable to cross the narrow strait in the Bali Sea to the resort island.

Banyuwangi Health Office head Widji Lestariono, who is also the spokesman of the Banyuwangi Covid-19 task force, said that his side would evaluate the handling of Covid-19.

"Regarding the plan to tighten [restrictions] on the [Bali-Banyuwangi] border, we still have not made a decision. However, we will definitely carry out an assessment in an effort to prevent the transmission of this disease," he said.(GER/HRS/RAM/XTI/ ETA/AIN/EGI/IKI)