By: Zakaria )*
National Sports Week to- XX will be held in Papua in late 2021. All parties are optimistic that the implementation will be in accordance with the schedule, although Indonesia was pounded Covid second wave.
For the first time , Papua Province will host the XX PON. This is an honor because the people of Bumi Cendrawasih are considered capable of hosting national level events. PON is planned to be held in 2020 but because of the pandemic postponed so dated 2-15 October 2021. The location of the PON XX will be held in four districts / cities, namely Jayapura, Kab.Jayapura , Kab . Mimika , and Kab. Merauke .
However, in the middle of 2021 we were given another trial in the form of a second wave of Corona attacks. People are worried, will PON XX be postponed again? But this anxiety was calmed by the Minister of Youth and Sports.
Minister of Youth and Sports Zainudin Amali stated that the XX PON will still be held as scheduled. Preparations are according to plan. Infrastructure preparation is also not a problem, communication between the PON big committee and the sub-sub is also good. So optimistic that it will still be handled even though it is done in the midst of a pandemic.
In a sense, it is not true that there are rumors that PON will be postponed again due to Corona. The reason is because if the schedule will keep going back and forth, it will be chaotic and make costs swell. When the PON schedule is postponed again at some point, there will be costs for venue maintenance , transportation, and so on.
Amali added, to be safe from Corona, athletes, coaches, officials, and the committee themselves have been vaccinated against COVID-19 in June 2021, so that their bodies get good immunity. Billy Haumasse, the medical coordinator of KONI Papua stated that in the early stages of vaccination, there were 300 people who received injections.
In addition, the people around the XX PON arena also get vaccines, so that the environment there is completely safe from Corona. However, vaccination for athletes is preferred because they always exercise every day, so the body’s resistance needs to be improved by injection. Especially when they compete in the field or match venue , they are in physical contact, so that if they have been vaccinated, they will be equally safe from the Covid-19 virus.
Meanwhile, the committee also received a vaccination quota because the mobility was very high before the XX PON and during this sporting event. They need to get a good immune system, in order to stay fit and work with a prime body. There should be no discrimination, in the sense that only athletes and officials are vaccinated while the committee is not.
If that happens, it will be very bad because the committee is actually also vulnerable to Corona and will infect many people. So that it is equally fair, all parties who take care of XX PON get vaccine rations and are managed by KONI and representatives from the Ministry of Health. Vaccination is for prevention, so no committee should refuse it.
In addition, when XX PON is held and Covid cases are still high, then the worst case scenario is holding this event without spectators. This is to prevent the occurrence of a new Corona cluster. Even though it was held without supporters who came directly to the match venue , they could watch it online because there was a live broadcast.
PON XX will still be held even though Indonesia is being hit by a pandemic. The reason is because if it continues to be postponed then the schedule will be chaotic. To prevent the transmission of Corona, all parties, from athletes, officials, committees, to the community around the PON arena are vaccinated against covid. So they get immunity. PON can also be held without spectators so as not to form a new cluster.
)* The author is a contributor to the Press Circle and Cikini Students
