Preventing Virus Spread from Those Insisting on ‘Mudik’
Even though the government had banned mudik from 6 to 17 May, many people were desperate to travel home using various modes of transportation.
Onda Irawan, 68, stopped his steps at an uninhabited house. The house will be used for isolating people who insist on participating in mudik (exodus) for this Lebaran (Idul Fitri). Local residents do not want travelers around who could endanger their safety.
The two-story house is located in RW (community unit) 006 of Antapani Tengah subdistrict in the city of Bandung, West Java. Two months earlier, the six-room house was inhabited by residents whose family members had been exposed to Covid-19. They were isolated in order to break the chain of transmission.
"We continue to monitor [the situation]. So far, no one has gone on mudik. Maybe it\'s because blockades are everywhere. However, just in case someone passes a blockade, an isolation facility has been prepared,” Onda, who is the secretary of Antapani Tengah RW 006, said on Friday (7/5/2021). As of Sunday (9/5), no homecoming residents had arrived.
Also read: Number of Vehicles Drops amid Tight Traffic Control
About 44 kilometers from the subdistrict in Tenjolaya village of Pasirjambu district, Bandung regency, village head Ismawanto Somantri was busy looking for a place to set up as an isolation facility. He was anxious that mudik travelers would return to their hometown.
He had made several requests to rent empty houses belonging to residents, but they always rejected his offer because they were afraid of contracting Covid-19. He was still continuing to approach residents who had empty houses that could serve as an isolation facility.
Those at their hometowns, however, fear that the homecoming travelers will also bring Covid-19 with them.
Even though the government had banned mudik from 6 to 17 May, many people were desperate to travel home using various modes of transportation. Those at their hometowns, however, fear that the homecoming travelers will also bring Covid-19 with them.
Also read: Thousands of Vehicles Asked to Turn Back
West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil warned about this risk. "Last year, someone insisted on traveling on mudik to Ciamis. Then his mother died after contracting Covid-19. We don\'t want to be amiss in this matter," he said.
Villages and subdistricts in West Java have readied around 2,500 isolation facilities.In the East Java capital of Surabaya, a number of kampungs are stoically anticipating the arrival of mudik travelers by preparing a range of quarantine facilities, from the RT (neighborhood unit) hall to the RW hall, and to residents\' houses. These stoic kampungs have the support of the city administration.
"Those reckless mudik travelers who have already arrived have been forced to quarantine for two weeks in the village," said Didik Edi Susilo, the chairman of RW 005 in Wisma Kedung Baruk who also heads the area’s Semeru Resilient Kampung.
Also read: Traffic Scrutiny Tightened Against ‘Mudik’ Travelers
The Semeru Resilient Kampung, which has the support of all local administrations, is an important pillar in mitigating Covid-19 at the grassroots level. The synergistic initiative was formed when the Covid-19 pandemic was first declared in March 2020.
As of Thursday (6/5), the Covid-19 virus had infected 23,582 people in Surabaya, of which a total of 22,105 people have recovered and 1,365 others have died. Meanwhile, 112 people are still undergoing treatment.
This data also means that Surabaya has the highest number of Covid-19 cases among the 38 regencies and cities in East Java.
The cumulative tally in Surabaya is equivalent to 15.9 percent of all Covid-19 cases in East Java, which total 148,959. This data also means that Surabaya has the highest number of Covid-19 cases among the 38 regencies and cities in East Java. The provincial capital also numbers among the 27 regencies and cities under the category of “at moderate risk of transmission”, or orange zone, while the 11 other regencies and cities in the province are categorized as “at low risk of transmission”, or yellow zone.
Surabaya Mayor Eri Cahyadi said that even before the mudik ban was imposed, the East Java capital had implemented mandatory quarantine for all travelers, as well as a health check. Even if a traveler tested negative for Covid-19, they were still required to quarantine for 14 days. Meanwhile, those who tested positive must be treated at a health facility until they were cleared to return home.
Upon arriving at home, the discharged Covid-19 patients must undergo self-isolation for at least a further seven days. A month after their discharge, they must take another polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test.
"We hope that everyone with an interest in Surabaya will be in good health, so they can help mitigate the Covid-19 pandemic," said Eri.
Message to mudik travelers
In Banyumas regency, Central Java, mudik travelers who arrive starting on May 6 will be quarantined at Satria Purwokerto sports stadium for five days. Wagiman, 47, a resident of Karanglewas, Banyumas, who arrived from Jakarta on Thursday (6/5), was picked up by the local RT head and then taken to the quarantine location.
If you want your family to stay healthy, don\'t go home.
"Yes, I accept it, it\'s no problem to be quarantined here for five days. I’ve asked my other relatives not to travel on mudik. If you want your family to stay healthy, don\'t go home. Mudik is also miserable because everyone will be quarantined, like me," Wagiman said as quoted in a press statement from the Central Java provincial administration.
Also read: Indonesia’s Situation Can Get as Bad as India’s
Another mudik traveler was CG, 36, who had traveled hundreds of kilometers by land from Karawang, West Java. After avoiding several checkpoints, he arrived in the city of Tegal in
Central Java on Thursday morning (6/5). When officials tested him, he returned a reactive result to his antigen rapid test, so he was immediately isolated at the Tegal Sari low-cost apartment.
According to the Transportation Ministry, as many as 33 percent of all citizens, or 81 million people, said that they would go home for Lebaran if there were no government ban. Despite the mudik ban, meanwhile, as many as 11 percent of the population, or 27 million people, insisted that they would go on mudik (Kompas, 8/4/2021).
Central Java has seen the greatest flow of travelers on mudik at 37 percent, followed by West Java at 23 percent, and then East Java at 14 percent. The three regions have the highest flow of mudik travelers nationwide.
Despite the mudik ban, many people stubbornly insist on returning to their hometowns amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. Their reckless behavior can pose a danger, both to themselves as well as others. Do not let the sad story of Ciamis in West Java repeat itself. (TAM/BRO/DKA/XTI/DIT/ETA)
(This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo).