Firmness Determines the Success
Starting April 24, the government will ban Idul Fitri mudik (exodus), especially for residents from COVID-19 red zones such as Greater Jakarta. The implementation of the ban requires firmness.
Starting April 24, the government will ban Idul Fitri mudik (exodus), especially for residents from COVID-19 red zones such as Greater Jakarta. The implementation of the ban requires firmness.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The firmness of the government along with strict operational arrangements will determine the success of the Idul Fitri mudik (exodus) ban, which will come into force on Friday (4/24/2020). If this policy is well implemented, it can prevent the emergence of hundreds of thousands of new COVID-19 cases.
The decision to ban the annual exodus was taken during a limited Cabinet meeting on the 2020 Idul Fitri mudik, which was conducted through a teleconference on Tuesday (21/4).
"After the mudik ban was imposed on civil servants, members of the Indonesian Military [TNI], the National Police, and state-owned enterprises employees last week. At today\'s meeting [Tuesday], I want to unveil that we will ban everyone from mudik," President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said in his remarks at the opening of the virtual limited meeting from the State Palace, Central Jakarta.
Previously, the travel ban was only imposed on civil servants, employees of state-owned enterprises (SOEs), as well as members of the National Police and the Indonesian Military (TNI). For the general public, the government only appealed to people not to travel to their hometowns for Idul Fitri this year.
The results of a survey conducted by the government was used as the basis in prohibiting people from traveling to their hometowns, especially those living in COVID-19 red zones such as Jakarta, as well as Bogor, Depok and Bekasi in West Java and Tangerang in Banten (Greater Jakarta) ahead of Idul Fitri at the end of Ramadan.
During the limited Cabinet meeting, which was also attended by Vice President Ma\'ruf Amin and the ministers, the President said the survey showed that 7 percent of Greater Jakarta residents had traveled to their hometowns, 68 percent had decided not to go home for Idul Fitri but another 24 percent insisted they would join the annual Idul Fitri exodus.
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With the assumption that about 20 percent of Greater Jakarta residents will travel to their hometowns, according to University of Indonesia epidemiologist Pandu Riono, it is estimated that there will be a potential increase of 200,000 new COVID-19 cases in Indonesia (Kompas, 4/17/2020).
In addition, the decision to ban the Idul Fitri exodus was made after the government began the distribution of social assistance to affected residents in Greater Jakarta. Therefore, worries about food shortages have already been overcome.
Firmness
The Indonesian Transportation Society (MTI) reminded that success in the implementation of the Idul Fitri mudik ban relied on the government’s firmness in imposing the ban. A number of alternatives can be taken to restrict the people from traveling to their hometowns, either through land, sea or air transportation.
One of the proposals from MTI is the closure of gas filling stations (SPBU), for example, for private vehicles, during the peak of the Idul Fitri exodus .
"If the gas station is still open, it will give people the opportunity to go home through alternative roads," said MTI chairman Agus Taufik Mulyono.
Meanwhile, the head of the MTI’s Marine Forum, Leny Maryouri, said that if the Idul Fitri mudik was prohibited, transportation services should only be allowed to transport goods.
"Carrying passengers can be allowed only for those who have the duty to help handle problems related to COVID-19 in rural areas, such as medical personnel and the military," Leny said.
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Internal traffic
Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan, who is acting as ad interim Transportation Minister, said the limited Cabinet meeting also decided to ban Idul Fitri mudik beginning Friday (24/4). The government is preparing sanctions for residents who travel to their hometowns during Ramadan or Idul Fitri despite the ban. The sanctions will be effective starting on Thursday (7/5). However, he did elaborate on what sanctions will be given to residents who violate the exodus ban.
Public transportation within Greater Jakarta, such as the MRT, will not be stopped.
With the Idul Fitri mudik ban, Luhut said, people would not be allowed to travel to or out of Greater Jakarta. However, traffic within Greater Jakarta is still permitted. Public transportation within Greater Jakarta, such as the MRT, will not be stopped. This step is to facilitate people who continue to work, such as health workers and hospital cleaning services.
"The government, especially the Transportation Ministry, together with the National Police, the Indonesian Military and related ministries and agencies will immediately prepare for the technical aspects of the ban, including ensuring that logistics flows will not be disrupted. In this case, the toll road will not be closed but limited to logistics vehicles," Luhut said.
Meanwhile, the director general for land transportation of the Transportation Ministry, Budi Setiyadi, said in a press statement that with the ban, traffic restrictions would be imposed on key access roads from and to red-zone areas such Jakarta, but toll roads will not be closed.
The traffic restriction scheme was chosen because the ban will be imposed only on passenger traffic as transportation for logistics will still be allowed.
Budi said sanctions were needed to effectively enforce the ban. The sanctions will be based on Law No. 6/2018 concerning health quarantines.
"The lightest sanctions can be just asking the traveler to go home and not continue their journey," said Budi.
He added that entry points to and from regions, there will be check points to check the people going in and out of Greater Jakarta.
"In implementing traffic restrictions, cooperation with many parties is needed, especially the police as the front guard," he said.
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Related to this, the head of the Toll Road Management Agency of the Ministry of Public Works and Housing, Danang Parikesit, said it would prepare various scenarios to support the Idul Fitri mudik ban.
The same commitment was made by the head of the corporate communication and community development group of PT Jasa Marga (Persero) Tbk, Dwimawan Heru. He said he would prepare supporting facilities needed to needed to implement the exodus ban.
Meanwhile, the mudik ban announced by President Jokowi was welcomed by a number of regional heads. The regent of Kebumen, Central Java, Yazid Mahfudz, said as the mudik ban had been imposed, the local government would tighten the traffic control in border areas. He is waiting for the technical rules of the ban from the central government.
The deputy regent of Gunung Kidul, Yogyakarta, Immawan Wahyudi, hopes that the ban could reduce the number of travelers to Gunung Kidul, which has now reached 9,800 people. Based on data from the Gunung Kidul Family Association, the number of local people who worked in other regions reached 300,000.
Meanwhile, West Kalimantan Governor Sutarmidji pointed out that the travel ban would not be effective if airlines and shipping companies were not allowed to transport passengers.
“I hope flights will be stopped. Ships carrying passengers should also not be allowed to stop at the port of Pontianak, except for the transportation of basic needs. Because even if the people are prohibited from going home, it is still difficult to control travelers if public transportation is still allowed " he said. (NTA /LKT/CAS/AGE/HRS/DKA/ESA/IGA/SHR)