The public is asked to be aware of hoaxes regarding the revocation of the Covid-19 pandemic status even though the Government has carried out various kinds of relaxation. The status of the revocation of the pandemic status is fake news and the people are asked to always comply with the Prokes.
Corona virus has caused the destruction of various orders of life. Until now, the spread of the virus is still happening and sweeping globally and we are forced to adapt to unfavorable circumstances. Everything is being done starting from keeping a distance and complying with health protocols, as well as fighting to maintain immunity so as not to be exposed to Corona.
When there are circulars circulating in WA and social media, stating that the pandemic status has been revoked, the people cheer for joy, because they long for a normal atmosphere. However, they should not be happy just yet because it turns out to be fake news or a hoax.
Abdul Muhari, Head of Acting Center for Disaster Data, Information, and Communication at BNPB stated that the circular stating that the pandemic status had been revoked was a hoax. What is circulating is a cut from the last page of the circular of the Covid-19 handling task force number 9 of 2022 regarding health protocols for overseas travel during a pandemic.
Abdul Muhari continued, the original letter did not state the revocation of the pandemic status, but revoked the previous circular regarding health protocols for overseas travel. In a sense, the public should not immediately believe if there is a circular circulating, let alone only via the wa group, because it can be ascertained that it is just a hoax.
To check everything about the Covid-19 pandemic and virus, residents are asked to directly open the official website from the government, instead of trusting news on social media or wa groups. The reason is, it could be just a hoax, edited, or just perodksi from cheap sites (like fake newspapers if in the real world).
During a pandemic, it is very vulnerable to hoaxes and propaganda. The public is asked to be vigilant and not to easily believe in hoaxes. One of the characteristics of a hoax is that it is shared many times and begins with the words: beware! Watch out! Also pay attention to the contents of the news or circulars, because if it is not logical then it is confirmed that it is a hoax.
The government has not revoked the pandemic status for several reasons. First, there has been no official order from the WHO, because the pandemic is still going on globally. Second, the Covid-19 virus is still in Indonesia and has not yet become extinct, in fact there are mutations as well.
While the third, the number of patients in Indonesia is still there. Based on data from the Covid-19 Task Force Team as of March 6, 2022, there are still 26,000 per day. This number has decreased somewhat because last month there were still around 36,000 patients per day. It is hoped that the number of patients can continue to be suppressed, so that many recover from Corona while others do not get infected.
In addition, the number of Indonesian citizens who have been vaccinated is only 50%, so they have not yet reached a state of herd immunity. The reason is because if you want to achieve group immunity status, the minimum number of people who have been vaccinated is 75%. It is hoped that the national vaccination will run more smoothly, so that more Indonesian citizens have received the vaccine up to 3 times.
We are already tired of facing the pandemic because we don’t know when it will end. However, one has to be more patient and trusting, while waiting for this bad situation to end. Continue to comply with health protocols and maintain immunity, so that Corona transmission continues to decline and the pandemic can be ended quickly.
)* The author is a contributor to the Press Circle and Cikini Students
