Obeying Prokes and Following Vaccination is the Key to Success in Preventing the Spike of Covid-19
By: Ade Zulfikar)*
The pandemic has been going on for 2.5 years and now corona cases are up again, after previously there was a decline. Data as of August 8, 2022, there are 4,425 patients per day. Meanwhile, more than 6.2 million Indonesian citizens (WNI) have been infected with the COVID-19 virus since the beginning of the pandemic.
The increase in Corona cases occurred due to the post-Eid holidays and school holidays, which were also triggered by the emergence of the Omicron subvariant Centaurus variant of the covid-19 virus. This subvariant is more contagious and eventually makes more people infected. The reason is because they have not been vaccinated and do not comply with health protocols, especially avoiding crowds.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the government has always disseminated health protocols. Wearing a mask is an obligation to protect the mouth and nose from droplets that carry the corona virus. However, avoiding crowds is also mandatory because it could be that among these many people there are asymptomatic people (OTG) who transmit the virus and eventually make a spike in corona cases in Indonesia.
Professor I Gusti Ngurah Kade Mahardika, Professor of Udayana University Bali stated that the spike in corona cases occurred because of the crowd. In a sense, in order not to be infected with the covid-19 virus (especially the Centaurus subvariant), people should not approach crowds. Don’t intentionally create a crowd like a wedding party that invites thousands of people, a dangdut concert, and so on.
The Covid-19 virus is easily transmitted in crowds because of its fast-spreading nature in stuffy and dirty air. Meanwhile, in an event that contains mass, the air certainly cannot come out freely, because many people are jostling. Air quality can also be dirty due to poor ventilation and the air is mixed with the sweat of many people, so the virus spreads quickly.
In addition, in the crowd the average person takes off his mask because he feels hot and sweats. If many take off their masks, it is very dangerous because there could be OTG and the Covid-19 virus will directly spread to many people. A new cluster occurred because of the crowd and the increase in corona cases in Indonesia.
Avoid crowds to save your life. It’s better to prevent it from getting corona than to treat it and end up languishing for 2 weeks, especially when you don’t have a BPJS card so that the treatment is independent. The cost is also very high if you have to be treated in the hospital. Take care of the only life and don’t come into the crowd on purpose.
To avoid crowds at markets, supermarkets, or other public places, come when they’re newly opened. Automatically still empty of visitors and you can shop comfortably without jostling with other people. Crowds can be avoided as long as there is a strategy, so that doesn’t mean you have to lock yourself up at home until the pandemic period is declared over.
The community needs to be socialized again about the meaning of the crowd. The masses are not only there during big events such as weddings or concerts. However, crowds also exist when there are social gatherings or other events held at home, which do not comply with health protocols. Guests come and sit together while the room is cramped and the ventilation is less spacious, that includes the crowd.
Don’t create a crowd on purpose because it’s the same as inviting corona into the house. Don’t create a new cluster if you want the pandemic to end soon. Obey all the points in the health protocol to be safe from the dangers of the covid-19 virus and not become the next victim.
To secure from crowd status, if someone wants to make an event at home, then the place and protocol are arranged. Chairs for guests should be spaced so as not to create a crowd. In addition, everyone must wear a mask and wash their hands, or use hand sanitizer, as well as reduce direct physical contact.
Doctor Muhammad Fajri Adda stated that if people are disciplined in keeping their distance and reducing crowds, the risk of corona transmission is reduced by 85%. The risk of being infected with the covid-19 virus is getting smaller if everyone is disciplined with health protocols. In a sense, the protocol must be implemented in order to reduce corona cases in Indonesia.
Discipline to carry out health protocols must be raised again. The public realizes that the protocol must be carried out, not only for fear of being reprimanded by the Covid-19 task force team.
To reduce corona cases in Indonesia, everyone is obliged to obey health protocols, especially avoiding crowds. Don’t come to the crowd on purpose, or even create an event that invites the masses. The pandemic is not over yet and avoid corona with the discipline of health protocols and avoiding crowds.
The public is obliged to always obey Prokes and follow the vaccinations that are currently being intensified by the Government. With public obedience to Covid-19, it will automatically suppress the rate of spread of Covid-19 and Indonesia will undoubtedly be released from the Covid-19 Pandemic.
)* The author is a contributor to the Pertiwi Institute
