By: Abhimanyu Abhiseka)*
The government will strengthen supervision of health protocols (Prokes) ahead of Christmas and New Year. It is hoped that this tightening of surveillance will prevent a spike in the Covid-19 outbreak.
Reflecting on previous experience, the holiday period is a time when active cases of Covid-19 have increased. Therefore, supervision needs to be strengthened so that Indonesia does not experience what happened in June 2021.
The Minister of Communication and Information (Menkominfo) Johnny G. Plate emphasized that the government will implement regulations to tighten community activities during the Christmas and New Year (Nataru) holiday period to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus.
The Minister of Communication and Information explained that through a cabinet meeting, the government decided to strengthen supervision during the Nataru period later to avoid the spread of Covid-19. The decision was taken based on in-depth observations, as well as various recent information about the new variant of Omicron which indicates that the variant is relatively not too worrying.
The implementation of the tightening of community activities at the Nataru celebration is expected to maintain the momentum for handling the pandemic in Indonesia, which is going quite well. This is necessary because next year Indonesia will run the G20 Presidency and hopes that the current recovery is growing better.
Johny said the method was not by implementing the Implementation of Community Activity Restrictions (PPKM), but by tightening it during Nataru. So that there will be an Inmendagri which will specifically be prepared for community activities during Nataru, while still being able to control or be aware of the presence of Covid 19.
He also explained that in the health protocol during Nataru there were a number of tightening rules, but there would be no isolation policy. The Minister of Communication and Information also explained that the tightening would cover three main regulations to be regulated in the Inmendagri.
First, travel can only be carried out by residents who have received complete vaccinations. The Minister of Communication and Information also invites the public to immediately vaccinate or complete the vaccine twice, because residents who have not had their vaccine complete are not allowed to travel. Likewise for anyone who is sick, is expected to stay at home.
Second, Christmas and New Year’s celebrations are not allowed. However, worship is still allowed with the regulated capacity, which is a maximum of 50% of the existing capacity. He also mentioned that the use of digital worship can also be used.
Third, sports and arts involving spectators are prohibited. While restaurants and malls remain open at 75% capacity. The government also continues to tighten both at the entrance of the country, to prevent travelers from abroad who enter with the omicron virus.
Meanwhile, the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said the government was extending the quarantine period for Foreign Citizens (WNA) and Indonesian Citizens (WNI) traveling abroad. According to Luhut, the extension of the quarantine period is aimed at responding to the outbreak of the Omicron variant.
This step was taken taking into account the increasing number of countries detecting Omicron variants. This quarantine extension will take effect from December 3, 2021.
In addition, he also said that government officials are prohibited from traveling abroad. The prohibition is aimed at all levels of office, except for those carrying out important state duties.
The Covid-19 Handling Task Force (SATGAS) has issued Circular Letter (SE) Number 23 of 2021 concerning International Travel Health Protocols during the 2019 Corona Virus Disease Pandemic.
A number of things behind the issuance of the SE is that at this time a new variant of the corona virus has been found in South Africa, the variant is Omicron, the spread of which has spread to several countries in the world, so it is necessary to adjust the control mechanism for international travel as an effort to protect Indonesian citizen from the case of importation.
Of course the most important thing is to strengthen health protocols and accelerate vaccination programs. Not to forget, the Care Protect application is also very effective for tracking and suppressing the spread of Covid-19.
Strengthening supervision of health protocols ahead of Christmas and New Year’s is certainly very necessary, amid news of the emergence of the Covid-19 variant, namely Omicron which has been designated as a variant of concern by the World Health Organization (WHO) some time ago.
)* The author is a contributor to Pertiwi Institute