By: Andri Saputro) *
Going back home has become a routine during Eid. However, given the existence of the co-19 pandemic, going home is now prohibited. This was done to break the chain of epidemics. The co-19 pandemic has been around since March, but the new homecoming ban policy has been tightened recently, is it correct? Of course, because all need preparation and careful preparation.
The spread of covid-19 must continue to be anticipated. Homecoming can be one factor. So going home in the midst of co-19 which was endemic according to the Minister of Religion Fachrul Razi was considered to contain more harm than benefits. This is due to the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has the potential to expand if people do mobility.
Homecoming has indeed become part of the traditions of Indonesian society. With all considerations, the government policy to impose a ban on going home was taken for the benefit of the Indonesian people in the midst of the 19th epidemic, to safeguard mutual health and safety.
Chairman of the Advocacy and Society of the Indonesian Transportation Society (MIT), Djoko Setijowarno, supported President Joko Widodo’s decision regarding the strict prohibition of going home in 2020 to break the co-19 pandemic chain to areas of the red zone.
Djoko Setijowarno also said that finally President Joko Widodo banned Lebaran homecoming in 2020. The ban is to stop the spread of co-19. The decision to ban this came after receiving the latest survey conducted by the Research and Development Agency (Balitbang) of the Ministry of Transportation.
According to Djoko, transportation is one of the co-19 transmission media, because it brings the movement of people from the red zone to the destination area to return home. For this reason, President Jokowi stressed the existence of a ban on going home for all citizens without exception.
Moreover, Jakarta, which is the origin of the biggest homecomers, is included in the red zone category of co-19 distribution. Data from the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) 21 April 2020, the number of districts or cities affected has increased by 257, already reaching 50 percent of the total number of districts and cities.
When President Joko Widodo announced the ban on going home, he explained the reasons for the ban. According to him, the decision related to the prohibition of going home was taken based on evaluations conducted by the government in the field.
A survey conducted by the Ministry of Transportation shows that community data that states will not go home by 68 percent, while data that insist on going home 24 percent, the remaining 7 percent of people who have gone home.
The Interim Minister of Transportation, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, assessed that the government’s decision to take this policy was made at the right time. At the virtual work meeting with Commission V of the Republic of Indonesia House of Representatives in Jakarta yesterday, he said that all of them adjusted their time. So, nothing is not counted before in this context. All planned carefully.
From the beginning the government has indeed designed policies that lead to the prohibition of going home. However, the ban was not immediately announced because it still needed various preparations. The preparation includes socialization to a meeting with the governor to strengthen the decision. It’s useless to be announced, but there isn’t any preparation.
After the announcement from the President, this mudik ban policy took effect on April 24, 2020 because it was still preparing everything technically. On May 7, 2020 this ban will be tightened, at that time the government will impose sanctions for people who violate.
Let’s work together, shoulder to shoulder in reducing the spread of covid-19 by not going home. Public awareness is needed for the success of the mudik ban policy. For that, let’s obey government policies related to the prohibition of going home. Protect the family by not taking part in spreading the co-19 pandemic with homecoming.
) * The author is a member of the Gunung Kidul Student Association
