Ministry Of Health Asks People Not To Travel During The Long New Year Holidays

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Health asks the public not to travel long distances during the long Christmas and New Year holidays because it can increase the number of COVID-19 cases by 30-40 percent.

"In the long Christmas and New Year holidays not to travel far. Because of the implications of long trips, or the mass movement of our society, it has an impact on increasing positive cases by 30 to 40 percent," said Director General of Health Services, Prof. dr. Abdul Kadir at a virtual press conference, monitored from Jakarta, reported by Antara, on Monday, December 28.

Kadir emphasized that when people do not travel long distances or go home, the number of additional patients is 30-40 percent. The awareness and willingness of all parties, said Kadir, is also needed to maintain strict health protocols.

However, the government itself has begun to anticipate an increase in cases after the long Christmas and New Year holidays. This is important considering that nationally the level of utilization of hospital beds throughout Indonesia has reached 64.10 percent.

In addition, there are also nine regions where the rate of use of beds, also known as the Bed Occupancy Rate (BOR), has reached more than the national average.

Therefore, the Ministry of Health has issued a circular calling on all hospitals to increase the capacity of special beds for COVID-19 patients by 30-40 percent of what is currently available. However, he also highlighted that hospitals in Jakarta have an uneven level of bed filling.

"We actually expect the additional beds to be completed no later than the first or second week of January 2021," said Kadir.