By: Irvan Ahmad)*
The Omicron variant has entered Indonesia, but people don’t need to panic because the government is moving fast to prevent its spread. Tightening is done so that this new variant of Corona does not spread further in this country.
A virus can mutate when it wants to survive and adapt, and Covid-19 also continues to mutate starting from the alpha, beta, gamma, delta, and finally Omicron variants. The existence of Corona Omicron had made many people nervous because the mutated virus was usually more virulent than the original.
The Omicron variant Corona was first recognized in South Africa and unfortunately this mutated virus has entered Indonesia. There were 3 foreign nationals (from China) who contracted Omicron when they landed in Manado, North Sulawesi. They were immediately quarantined at the hotel along with the other 126 passengers on the plane.
Quarantine is carried out for a minimum of 10 days so that there is no transmission of Omicron from the passengers on the plane to the residents of Manado. During quarantine, you must be sterile and you are not allowed to buy food from outside the hotel. After quarantine, they have to do another PCR test until they are declared completely clean of Corona Omicron by the doctor.
The public appreciates the government’s quick steps in preventing the spread of Corona Omicron. Quarantine must indeed be carried out on everyone who has traveled abroad, both Indonesian citizens and foreigners. Moreover, if he is caught with Corona, the quarantine will be even stricter. Security has also been tightened so that no one escapes. In addition, there should be no bribes to officers so that those who are quarantined must be sincere.
In addition to quarantine, strict screening was also carried out afterwards. Everyone should be tested by PCR, not rapid. So that after that he is free of Corona and does not transmit it to his family at home. Screening must be carried out as a preventive measure because if Omicron has already spread, it will be dangerous, because this virus spreads 5 times faster.
Appreciation should be given to the government because it immediately prevented the transmission of the Omicron variant of Corona. When the Omicron case was first discovered in Jakarta, to be precise at Wisma Atlet, the place was immediately sealed from the outside. Everyone in it is also not allowed to go out carelessly after everything is declared healed.
President Jokowi also advised the public not to panic when facing Corona Omicron. In a sense, if you panic and paranoid then mess everything up. Indeed, OTG can be everywhere, but you shouldn’t immediately accuse someone of getting Corona Omicron just because he coughs in a public place. Don’t let this pandemic add to social problems in Indonesia.
However, we must increase our vigilance and remain disciplined in obeying health protocols. All of this is for the sake of being free from Corona Omicron, because if you have been exposed to it you will feel dizzy, very tired, but there is no anosmia or loss of the function of the sense of smell. So we have to memorize the characteristics and keep wearing masks and obeying other procedures.
Don’t ignore health protocols and lately what is often violated is to keep your distance and avoid crowds. Many have held events such as big celebrations on the grounds that the situation is safe (because it is already PPKM level 1). Even though the pandemic is not over yet and we still have to obey health protocols.
The public appreciates the government’s quick steps in preventing the spread of the Omicron variant of Corona. Don’t let this new variant spread everywhere and create a tragedy because it increases the number of Covid patients in Indonesia. Currently, the situation is relatively safe because there are only 500 patients per day but they still have to obey the procedures.
)* The author is a contributor to the Indonesian Institute of Strategic Information Studies (LSISI)
