Instran: There Are 3 Million People Who Have The Potential To Keep Going Home

Crowded with passengers at Soekarno-Hatta Airport. (Photo: Angkasa Pura 2)

JAKARTA - Executive Director of the Institute of Transportation Studies (Instran) Deddy Herlambang gave his views regarding the ban on Lebaran 2021 homecoming. According to him, the prohibition of going home from 6 May 2021 to 17 May has its own loopholes.

"So before that date or after that date people can go home, meaning that COVID-19 can still go home without strict health protocols (prokes)," he said in a written statement to VOI, Monday, April 5.

In Deddy's notes, the decision to ban was taken based on the results of a survey in March 2021 regarding travel movements during Eid Al-Fitr by Balitbang Kemenhub together with the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB).

It was stated that if homecoming organizers were prohibited, 89 percent of respondents said they would not go home, 11 percent would continue to go home or vacation out of the 27.6 million potential people who would go home.

"So there is a fact from this survey that the potential for people to go home is around 3 million people," he said.

He added that the ban on the annual routine is like sorrow for business people in the public transport transportation business. They are certain to lose income due to the momentum of Ramadan.

Deddy explained that according to Organda's report, the impact of the pandemic in 2020, land transport operators lost Rp. 15.9 trillion each month.

"The 2021 period of special homecoming using public transportation should be permitted, but the prokes should still be carried out super tight and punishment if there is a violation of the prokes," he added.

Furthermore, when the 2020 homecoming ban was considered understandable because at that time all parties were still not used to the pandemic conditions.

"But now we are all ready to accept the new habit. In addition, public service officers including transportation sector officers have been vaccinated, "he said.

Not only that, users of public transportation have also been required to use the rapid antigen and GeNose tests, whose accuracy is much more precise than the rapid antibody.

"Homecoming using mass public transportation is much more guaranteed for the health of its users because passengers are required to have a rapid antigen or GeNose test. In fact, going home using private vehicles whose tracing is not monitored, ”he said.