Crowded Congested On Bogor Peak Route, COVID-19 Task Force Asks For Prokes Discipline Since Leaving Home

Illustration of traffic flow to Puncak, Bogor Regency in severe traffic jam. (Antara/Yulius Satria Wijaya)

JAKARTA - The Coordinator of the Expert Team and Spokesperson for the Covid-19 Handling Task Force, Wiku Adisasmito, responded to the crowd due to total traffic jams on the Puncak route, Bogor Regency, West Java, during last weekend's holiday.

According to him, there is no policy prohibiting activities that bind people during long holidays. With the condition, those who undergo it apply strict health protocols.

"In principle, the government does not prohibit people from doing activities. People can carry out activities including mobilization if they are committed to maintaining health protocols," said Wiku during a virtual press conference broadcast on the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube, Tuesday, March 1.

Wiku emphasized that during the pandemic, people must make the discipline of health protocols a habit. For prospective travelers, efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19 must be implemented starting when leaving the house.

"Either before, on the way, or when they arrive at their destination," said Wiku.

Various ways to reduce the number of COVID-19 cases can also be done by people who are on vacation by avoiding locations with a high potential for crowding in the midst of a pandemic. Including on the Puncak route, Bogor Regency, which is famous for being busy and crowded during long holidays.

However, the elderly (elderly) and people who are vulnerable to COVID-19 are expected not to travel if there is no urgent need. Wiku reminded that the COVID-19 pandemic is not over yet.

"To prevent crowds, people should be able to set a priority scale, and measure the risk of transmission during activities, for example, people can avoid crowded places to visit and delay travel, especially for the elderly who are vulnerable," said Wiku.

On the same occasion, Wiku revealed that the national number of COVID-19 cases began to gradually decline from the point of increasing cases due to the emergence of Omicron. He explained that the hospital bed occupancy rate as of February 28 had reached 34.92 percent.

However, the trend of case deaths to date has not shown a decline. "Although the increase is following the trend of increasing cases, the increase (death rate) is still much lower than the second wave (death rate)," he explained.