Holiday, COVID and Consistency

Kompas

Visitors view the Colosseum monument which reopens to the public on June 1, 2020 in Rome, while the country eases its lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of the COVID-19 infection, caused by the novel coronavirus.  The Colosseum monument reopens on June 1, 2020 after having been closed since March 8, 2020, with adequate sanitary protection for staff and visitors, secure routes, compulsory reservations and modified schedules to avoid crowds at peak times.

With another public holiday and collective leave coming up at the end of October, we have no choice but to remind ourselves to be careful about the continuous rise of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On the other hand, we know that psychologically the public needs some fresh air after being stuck at home for more than seven months. Home Minister Tito Karnavian issued a circular to all regional heads on anticipating COVID-19 transmission during the 2020 public holiday and collective leave. The minister asked regional heads to appeal to their constituents to avoid travel during the long holiday and to follow health protocols (Kompas, 23/10/2020).

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The aforementioned warning should be heeded as experience from the last long holiday at the end of July led to a sharp rise in the number of daily cases after people used this chance to go on vacation. Regarding this, Deputy Jakarta Governor Ahmad Riza Patria asked Jakartans to continue following the COVID-19 protocols, stay at home, and last but not least, maintain their health and immunity.

Although it may sound cliché, the media, along with public officials such as the home minister and Jakarta deputy governor, has no other option but to keep on reminding the public to be careful. The reason is clear, the pandemic is still spreading and much of the public are still unaware of the danger of COVID-19 and choose not to care about the risks of this disease.

He said prevention was the key weapon in the fight against COVID-19 and had yet to be fully implemented.

The home minister’s message was emphasized by Indonesian Economic Health Association head Hasbullah Thabarany. He said prevention was the key weapon in the fight against COVID-19 and had yet to be fully implemented.

Besides not knowing about the dangers, transmission channels, and preventive methods to avoid the risks from COVID-19, there is also the problem of the public’s tendency to underestimate the problem by assuming that they will not be infected, especially if they do not show any symptoms.

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI

A mural with the theme of Covid-19 in the Kebon Sirih area, Central Jakarta, on Sunday (18/10/2020).

Permitting vacations and travel may give the impression that the central and local government’s policy is a populist act. According to Hasbullah, that is fine as long as the public has the same perception about COVID-19, understands its risks and potential effects. “However, in Indonesia, the understanding about COVID-19 is very shallow. There are even many that still don’t know [about the risks of COVID-19]”.

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This is also highlighted by the survey result from Statistics Indonesia, which stated that 17 percent of respondents did not believe they will be infected by COVID-19. One of the reasons is that respondents do not see strict implementation of the rules and regulations nor strict sanctioning measures. They even think the health protocols interfere with their work and they also see public officials who are not following the health protocols.

In that case, it is understandable that even after eight months since the start of the pandemic we have not made progress, with 4,000 new cases still being recorded. Some believe a vaccine will soon be available; however, just as a reminder, as a nation, we need to be consistent in protecting ourselves and avoiding the further spread of the pandemic.