Tips for the Long Holiday: Covid-19 Spokeswoman Dr. Reisa

SEKRETARIAT PRESIDEN

Reisa Broto Asmoro

The government has declared cuti bersama (collective leave) for the long holiday that starts on Wednesday (28/10/2020) and ends on Sunday (1/11/2020) to mark Maulid Nabi, the Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday. Dr. Reisa Broto Asmoro has offered tips for people to enjoy the holiday during the Covid-19 health emergency while maintaining their health and safety.

The doctor, who is also a spokeswoman for the Covid-19 Mitigation Task Force, shared her holiday tips during a virtual press conference that was livestreamed on the Presidential Secretariat YouTube account on Monday (26/10/2020). Reisa opened her statement by pointing out that people would be expected to be more productive this week, because it had fewer working days.

"Starting Wednesday, we will take cuti bersama [collective leave] in conjunction with the holiday commemorating the Prophet Muhammad\'s Birthday," she said. This meant that this week had only two working days, Monday and Tuesday.

Also read: Adhere to Health Protocols during Holidays

Reisa advised people to take good care of their health because of the demand for high productivity, and to watch out for fatigue, which would adversely affect their immune system. Furthermore, it was also important to follow a clean and healthy lifestyle in the two days of work prior to the long holiday.

The 2010 winner of the Puteri Indonesia Lingkungan (Miss Environment Indonesia) pageant also underlined that the collective leave meant that people could spend more time with their families. People could also take advantage of the collective leave to do more physical activities, pursue their hobbies, and to rest fully.

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The cuti bersama [collective leave] declared in conjunction with the Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday starts on Wednesday.

KOMPAS/RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO

A long line for KRL passengers at Bogor Station, Bogor City, West Java, Monday (24/8/2020). After the long weekend, the number of passengers has increased.

Even though the government has advised people to stay at home during the long holiday, it has not prohibited people from taking part in leisure activities, including travel. Reisa has provided special Covid-19 health and safety tips for people who will be working during the long holiday.

"For those who have careful plans or have an important agenda that cannot be postponed, or those going on vacation, pay attention to the tips I will be giving," she said.

Earlier, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo made efforts to try and anticipate the spread of Covid-19 during the long holiday at the end of this month. While chairing a limited Cabinet meeting on the issue, President Jokowi urged his Cabinet to prevent a post-holiday increase in infections.

"We just experienced a long holiday, maybe a month and a half ago. After that, there was a rather high increase [in infections]. Therefore, we need to discuss this so that the activities during the long holiday and cuti bersama will not cause an increase in Covid-19 cases," he said on Monday (19/10/2020) at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta.

Also read: The Continuing Struggle of Recovered Covid-19 Patients

Following the long holiday over Idul Fitri (22-25 May 2020) and Indonesian Independence Day (17-20 Aug.), Indonesia saw an increase of 69-93 percent in daily and weekly cumulative cases over the next 10 to 14 days. During the long holiday to mark Indonesian Independence Day the third week of August, the country recorded a 58 to 118 percent increase in daily and weekly cumulative cases over a span of 10-14 days. The analysis so far indicates that this was caused by the large crowds that gathered at a variety of public attractions and tourist destinations, as well as the public’s general noncompliance with the Covid-19 health protocols.

The following day, Prof. Wiku Adisasmito, the Covid-19 Task Force Expert Team coordinator and spokesperson, reiterated the President’s message. He said that restricting community mobility during the health emergency had succeeded in reducing Covid-19 cases and deaths. This success needed to be repeated in all regions ahead of the long holiday from 28 Oct. to 1 Nov. People who have urgent errands or emergency activities to attend to outside the home during the long holiday must comply with the 3M health and safety protocols of wearing masks, maintaining distance and washing hands with soap. They must also avoid crowds.

Also read: Key to being at Peace with Coronavirus

"Any decision to leave the house must be thought out carefully and take all risks into consideration," Wiku explained in a press statement broadcast on Tuesday (20/10/2020) on the BNPB Indonesia YouTube channel, the official channel of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency.

KOMPAS/RIZA FATHONI

Hundreds of residents spend the weekend at the East Canal floodgate in Malakasari, East Jakarta, Sunday (25/10/2020). DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan again extended the implementation of large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) for a transition period of 14 days, starting from October 26, 2020 to November 8, 2020. The transitional PSBB extension was carried out in anticipation of a spike in the Covid-19 case.

Dr. Reisa’s tips

First, Reisa said, everyone must ensure that they are in good health before engaging in any activities during the long holiday.

Second, select hotels and accommodations that have implemented high health standards. Third, but no less important, was to avoid physical contact with other people whose health condition is unknown.

Remember, a holiday is good, but you must still be responsible for your health. Protect yourselves, protect other people, protect the country

"Therefore, avoid traveling to crowded places. Then, take advantage of delivery services or room service to order food. Bring your own amenities, including towels, toiletries, cutlery, disinfectant, and spare masks," said Reisa.

Finally, the 35-year-old doctor reminded people to choose accommodation that had good air circulation. In addition, she asked all families to continue to follow the health protocols, wherever they were.

"Remember, a holiday is good, but you must still be responsible for your health. Protect yourselves, protect other people, protect the country,” she stressed.

Also read: Local Isolation Deemed More Effective

Kompas/Wawan H Prabowo

Visitors take selfies while visiting Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII), East Jakarta, Sunday (2/8/2020). TMII is one of the tourist attractions visited by many residents to spend the Eid al-Adha holiday.

Staying healthy helps doctors

Reisa continued to remind the public to strictly adhere to the health protocols. She stressed that the 3M protocols of wearing masks, maintaining distance, and washing hands were effective means of preventing Covid-19 transmission.

"Together with doctors and health workers, we will end the spread of Covid-19."

Implementing the 3M health and safety protocols on a daily basis meant not just saving one’s life, but also saving others nearby. Implementing the 3M protocols would also help doctors and health workers on the frontlines in treating Covid-19 patients. Preventing infection would help give doctors and health workers the time and space to focus more on treating active cases.

"Together with doctors and health workers, we will end the spread of Covid-19," said Reisa.

People were expected to continue to apply the health protocols and not become lax because of the increasing recovery rate for Covid-19 patients. Even though the recovery rate had increased this week from 78.85 percent to 80.51 percent, the number of active cases were still relatively high. The Covid-19 task force reported 61,851 active cases on Monday. Ideally, the recovery rate would continue to increase, while new cases and active cases would continue to decline.

So never forget the 3M protocols: wear a mask, wash your hands, and avoid crowds.