Residents Are Not Expected To Go Home During Christmas and New Year To Prevent Corona
By: Kevin Rudolf)*
During the Christmas and New Year’s holidays (Nataru) there is a red date but residents are expected not to go home first because it is still during the Covid-19 pandemic. Stay patient and calm during Nataru and be happy resting in the house.
What are your plans at the end of the year? In the past, the end of the year was synonymous with long holidays, traveling out of town, or going home for a while. However, since the world was hit by a pandemic, everything has changed. Traveling is strictly prohibited because mass movement can trigger an increase in Corona cases, so we are expected to exercise restraint.
The Central Kalimantan Regional Police appealed to the public not to go home during Nataru, because to anticipate the increase in Corona. Every government regulation must be obeyed. This is all for the common good. Obey health protocols and love your family.
If people obey health protocols and cancel their intention to go home during Nataru, they will automatically love their families in the village. Even though they cannot meet physically, the decision not to return home is the right one, because even when they are desperate to go home, they can carry the Covid-19 virus that they get from traveling.
Of course, as children, we must be filial and visit our parents, but during a pandemic we must be more careful. If father and mother are infected with Corona because their children are going home, it will be very sad. Moreover, if they have not been vaccinated because they have comorbidities, the risk will be even greater.
Currently, the Covid-19 virus has mutated into an Omicron variant and the mutated virus can spread more quickly. Therefore, we must be patient and not go home during the Nataru holiday, because we do not know who has OTG status anywhere. Moreover, if you are infected with the Covid-9 virus, the Omicron variant has different characteristics and there is no anosmia (loss of the ability to sense smell).
The community also can’t make excuses, it’s okay to cancel going home but only vacationing in the city. It’s okay to go out for a while but everything must be in accordance with health protocols. Don’t forget to wear a mask even if you are driving in a private car. Stay away from crowded places like city parks, because it is the same as violating physical distancing health protocols and avoiding crowds.
How about a shopping event during Nataru’s holiday? The regulations are tightened and public places such as malls and cafes have a maximum capacity of 75%. Even then, only those who have been vaccinated can enter because they have to scan the Peduli Protect application, so children under the age of 12 are prohibited from entering.
Understand that the tightening of these rules is not a restraint but for the safety of all. Indeed, in 1-2 months the situation is relatively safe because the number of patients has decreased to only 500 people per day, but that does not mean that they are free to vacation outside the city or even abroad. Precisely the tightening when Nataru was carried out so that there was no increase in Corona cases in Indonesia.
Nataru’s vacation at home also does not reduce happiness because at this time we are spoiled with technology. If you want to order food, just press your cellphone, as well as movies, songs, and other entertainment, all available on your gadget. Be patient and when all is compact there will be no increase in Corona cases, and the pandemic can end soon.
During the Nataru holiday, people are advised not to go home for fear of a spike in Corona cases and indeed mass mobility could trigger an increase in the number of Covid-19 patients. There are no roadblocks during Nataru, but people are expected to be self-aware and not desperate to go out of town. Instead of getting Corona on the way.
)* The author is a contributor to the Press Circle and Cikini Students
