Withdrawal Of COVID-19 Task Force Volunteers, How Is The Continuation Of Handling COVID-19?

JAKARTA - Dozens of COVID-19 Handling Task Force (Satgas) volunteers have withdrawn by symbolically returning their vests and identification cards in front of The Media Hotel, Jalan Gunung Sahari, Central Jakarta.

They resigned because they were disappointed that the Chairperson of the COVID-19 Handling Task Force Doni Monardo provided assistance in the form of 20,000 masks and hand sanitizers to the organizing committee for the wedding of the daughter of the High Imam of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) Rizieq Shihab, Najwa Shihab which was held as well as the Prophet's Birthday on Saturday, November 14th.

Coordinator of the Jabodetabek COVID-19 Handling Task Force, Abdul Mupid, who led the action, assessed that Doni's action was a form of indifference to volunteers who had been fighting for eight months during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, they considered that the activities that caused the crowd should be disbanded, not even given assistance.

"The event should have been put in order, instead of donating that many masks, giving the impression that the COVID-19 Task Force approved activities that did not apply the health protocol," said Abdul Mupid in reading out the attitude of dozens of volunteers before returning their vests and identification cards, Thursday, November 19.

"Moreover, in the regulations concerning personal protective equipment it should be the responsibility of the event organizer to be obliged to provide not the task of the COVID-19 Task Force," they added.

So, in addition to returning their vests and identification cards, these volunteers urged Doni Monardo as the head of the COVID-19 Task Force and his staff to resign from his position as a form of accountability. In addition, as a result of the mask distribution, the volunteers no longer trusted Doni's leadership in dealing with the pandemic.

Chairperson of the Covid-19 Task Force Volunteer Coordination, Andre Rahadian, emphasized that his party did not know anything about the problem of returning volunteer attributes which was carried out in front of The Media Hotel, which is the headquarters of volunteers so far.

Even so, he did not question the return of the vests and identification because he thought that what the dozens of volunteers had done was a form of aspiration and were ready to accommodate them. In addition, he is also sure that even though dozens of these volunteers are no longer joining the COVID-19 Task Force, they will certainly still help the government to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic in their own ways.

"We are sure that in their hearts their volunteers are still volunteers. Moreover, so far it has been proven that the work of volunteers has been able to help residents who are experiencing difficult times during the COVID-19 outbreak," said Andre in his written statement.

University of Indonesia epidemiologist Tri Yunis Miko Wahyono considered the opposite. According to him, this resignation did not have much impact on the handling of COVID-19, especially since the COVID-19 Task Force members consisted of many parties, including ministries and institutions.

However, he did not deny that the loss of a number of volunteers who resigned would have an impact on work in the field.

"It won't have too much impact, but maybe there are some functions that could be disrupted. But later it can be replaced," said Miko when contacted by VOI.

Furthermore, he regretted the reasons for these volunteers to resign, because of the donation of masks and hand sanitizers from the Task Force to the organizer of the children's wedding, Rizieq Shihab and Maulid Nabi. Because he considered, the gift was intended to be good for prevention, rather than the guests of the event contracting COVID-19.

"Now, if we want to be disbanded, there will also be answers, there is resistance. If there is a conflict, the spread will be even more," he added.

In addition, he considered, for a humanitarian agenda such as this pandemic, it is best not to involve political issues. Because, even though he did not openly state it, Miko considered that there was a political element behind the volunteers' resignation.

"So this has no effect (for handling COVID-19, red). In fact, people who volunteer should not be involved in politics," said Miko.

It is known, before the wedding ceremony for the children of Rizieq and Maulid Nabi was held in the Petamburan area, Central Jakarta on November 14, the Director of Logistics and Equipment Management Rustian BNPB delivered assistance in the form of 10 thousand cloth masks, 10 thousand cloth masks and hand sanitizers to the event committee. He said this initiative came from Doni Monardo.

"Seeing that there were many people gathered, we responded by giving them (assistance, red)," said Rustian at that time.

Doni Monardo stated that the provision of assistance was carried out to ensure that health protocols were implemented in the event which eventually caused a crowd and resulted in the examination of a number of parties such as DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan, Deputy Governor of DKI Jakarta Ahmad Riza Patria to event organizers conducted by the police to investigate the existence violation of health protocols.

The provision of assistance, which was finally brought to the attention of the public, was finally answered by Doni's apology some time ago. He emphasized that the giving of masks and hand sanitizers was only an effort to provide protection to the people present so they would not be exposed to COVID-19.

"You can imagine if there is no mask assistance, then someone is exposed to COVID, one another can infect, so the impact of the transmission process will be more and more, worrying us more," said Doni in his apology some time ago.