Long Holidays Anticipated, Regional Administrations Urged to be Firm

KOMPAS/RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO

Traffic jams from Puncak towards Jakarta at the Jagorawi toll road exit in Gadog, Bogor Regency, West Java, Wednesday (9/12/2020). Public holidays that are implemented by the government due to the implementation of Regional Election in several Jabodetabek areas are also used by residents as vacation time to tourist attractions.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – It is feared that Christmas and New Year holidays could cause a spike in new Covid-19 cases, as public holidays had previously done before. Regional administrations are thus urged to monitor places deemed likely to get crowded and impose firm sanctions on those who gather crowds.

Covid-19 task force spokesman Wiku Adisasmito stated that long holidays could adversely impact the increase of Covid-19 transmissions. Subsequently, a surge in Covid-19 cases could trigger a domino effect, such as filling hospitals to capacity and increasing the workload of medical workers. Hospitals in a number of regions are reportedly operating at more than 70 percent occupancy rate.

Also read: Preventing a Surge in New Cases

“To prevent similar incidents [a spike in Covid-19 cases after a holiday] from occurring, the government has formulated a travel-related policy during the Christmas and New Year holidays to avoid an increase in Covid-19 cases. The policy stipulates, among others, the requirement for travelers to be tested,” said Wiku during a virtual press conference in Jakarta on Thursday (17/12/2020).

Wiku added that the travel-related policy was requisite to be imposed to protect the public from Covid-19 transmissions as well as to prevent an upsurge in new Covid-1 cases. It is hoped that regional administrations could adjust to the new policy by ensuring that travelers are healthy through minimal screening using antigen tests, as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Also read: Holiday, COVID and Consistency

Several regions have tightened their requirements for long-distance travel. For instance, following a coordination meeting with the central government, Yogyakarta administration will oblige travelers coming to Yogyakarta after the Christmas and New Year holidays to take a rapid antigen test. Such a requirement will be further consulted with Yogyakarta Governor Sultan Hamengku Buwono X. “Travelers who depart for Yogyakarta must show a negative rapid antigen test result,” said Yogyakarta administration secretary Kadarmanta Baskara Aji.

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI

Prospective train passengers line up to do a quick test at Pasar Senen Station, Central Jakarta, Thursday (17/12/2020). The DKI Jakarta Provincial Government will tighten a number of sectors during the transitional large-scale social restriction (PSBB) period to anticipate a spike in Covid-19 cases ahead of the 2021 Christmas and New Year holidays.

In contrast, South Tangerang administration, Banten, has decided not to require South Tangerang residents who would travel during the Christmas and New Year holidays to test for Covid-19 infection. According to South Tangerang Mayor Airin Rachmi Diany, it is particularly difficult to impose a requirement for travelers to take rapid antigen tests in the region.

Instead, Airin urged community units (RT) and neighborhood units (RW) in South Tangerang to strengthen the enforcement of small-scale social restrictions. Heads of subdistricts are given a full authority to monitor the arrivals and departures of people in their respective jurisdictions. Furthermore, from Dec. 18 to Jan. 8, 2021, shopping malls and restaurants must cease their operations at 7 p.m., while public events which may potentially gather crowds are prohibited until Jan. 8 as well. Tangerang regency administration imposes this restriction of business operations and public events as well.

Several other regions, such as Bandar Lampung, West Java and North Sulawesi, also prohibit any activities which may attract crowds. North Sulawesi Police, for one, will not issue a permit for crowd-pullers during the celebration of Christmas and New Year to anticipate a spike of Covid-19 cases, particularly in high-risk areas.

Also read: Adhere to Health Protocols during Holidays

Meanwhile, PT Kereta Api Indonesia’s eighth Operational Region in Surabaya will operate 30 short-distance and long-distance trains as well as 64 local trains to anticipate an increase of train passengers during the holidays. To date, there has yet to be any requirement for train passengers to take an antigen test.

Avoid travel

Regional administrations are expected as well to tighten their monitoring of locations which are prone to attract crowds.

The public has been discouraged from travelling amid the pandemic. Those whose travels are urgent are expected to take any measures to prevent Covid-19 transmissions. There are three recommended measures, namely following “3M” health protocols (washing hands, maintaining distance and wearing masks), adhering to travel requirements imposed by the government and getting informed about the health facilities in travel destinations.

“We urge those who are sick to cancel their travels, especially those who are tested positive for Covid-19. Regional administrations are expected as well to tighten their monitoring of locations which are prone to attract crowds,” said Wiku.

AKUN YOUTUBE SEKRETARIAT PRESIDEN

Wiku Adisasmito, spokesman and chairman of the Covid-19 Task Force Expert Team, gave a press statement from the Presidential Office, Tuesday (11/17/2020).

According to Covid-19 task force’s report on Dec. 17, 2020, as many as 7,345 new Covid-19 cases were recorded on that day, with 142 deaths and 4,993 recoveries. 43,461 cases were tested in laboratories using 60,629 reagents. 510 regencies/municipalities across the country have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, and only four regencies/municipalities that have not recorded any Covid-19 cases within their jurisdictions.

A report released by the WHO on Wednesday (16/12) found that regions that had fulfilled the minimum testing requirement, namely 1 test per 1,000 population per week, were only Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Central Java, Banten, West Sumatra and East Kalimantan. Inadequate tests were due to the discrepancy between the number of confirmed cases and the infection rate.

Also read:Awareness more Essential

An epidemiologist modeling by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation shows that the increase of Covid-19 cases in Indonesia may reach 88,904 cases per day. According to Lapor Covid19 epidemiologist, Iqbal Elyazar, the calculation was measured by modeling the relationship between the number of deaths and several other variables, including the number of people hospitalized, the number of tests and the number of suspected infections.

Regarding Covid-19 vaccination, Wiku said the government would ensure that all members of the public could have access to free vaccination “However, the government will not be hasty in carrying out the mass vaccination. The vaccination must still follow the established procedure of vaccine development so that the vaccine that will be used in the mass vaccination is safe and effective,” said Wiku.

Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) head Penny K. Lukito said the BPOM was still waiting for the result of phase three clinical trials of the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac in Bandung.