Today's Memory, March 21, 2021: Anticipating The Spread Of COVID-19, Anies Baswedan Issues A Burial Pilgrimage Ban

Portrait of the tradition of grave pilgrimage before Eid al-Fitr. (ANTARA)

JAKARTA Memories of today, four years ago, May 12, 2021, the Governor of DKI Jakarta, Anies Baswedan officially prohibited grave pilgrimage activities to public cemeteries (TPU). Many parties criticized the regulation because grave pilgrimages had become a tradition of approaching and after Eid al-Fitr.

Previously, the DKI Jakarta government was known to be deft in anticipation of the spread of the corona virus. This alertness can be seen with Anies' plan to prohibit grave pilgrimage from 12-16 May 2021. The ban was carried out to avoid crowds of pilgrims who could become a new cluster of COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made the whole world alert. Indonesia, especially since. The resistance to the coronavirus is still not optimal. Everything is because the world relies on instructions from the world health agency, WHO.

The problem is that WHO itself often slows out instructions. Not to mention that the instructions that are issued are not effective in breaking the chain of the spread of the corona virus. This condition is a new problem. The government must implement many other policies.

This policy includes regional quarantine (lockdown). Take the DKI Jakarta government for example. Anies Baswedan is one of the regional leaders who is careless in anticipating the spread of the virus from awhan. He launched a lockdown policy. Even though it was rejected by the central government.

Anies did not run out of sense. He began to dare to apply the rules for prohibiting crowds from various activities of Jakarta residents. He also forbade Jakarta residents to return to their hometowns. He tries to prepare all health facilities to be able to treat people infected with COVID-19.

The move received appreciation from many parties. Sometimes, the policy also makes him flooded with criticism. However, his enthusiasm against COVID-19 did not recede. Anies continued to promote policies so that Jakarta residents avoid crowds.

Anies that targets to prohibit the tradition of grave pilgrimage to TPU when approaching and after Eid al-Fitr. The tradition that is considered important by Muslims in Indonesia is considered to be a new cluster of the spread of COVID-19.

"The grave pilgrimage activity will be abolished from May 12 to Sunday May 16. All funerals in Jabodetabek will be closed from visitors to pilgrimages. For the funeral itself to walk in the burial sites, the funeral service will regulate it," explained Anies as quoted by the ANTARA website, May 10, 2021.

Anies' desire to ban grave pilgrimages to the TPU was finally officially realized on May 12, 2021. The ban was welcomed by his staff in the field. TPU officers are ready to prohibit people from coming. The guard was tightened. Even though it is still visible that there are residents from various areas in Jakarta who come to the TPU.

Residents who came were then asked to return home. This condition raises many criticisms. All community groups, including ulama, also spoke because the grave pilgrimage was traditional. They asked that Anies' policy of prohibiting pilgrimage be lifted. Grave pilgrimages should not be prohibited, but regulated.

Another problem with Anies' prohibition was not well socialized. This condition makes pilgrims do not know there is a prohibition so they come. In fact, flower sellers at the TPU did not know about the prohibition. The prohibition of grave pilgrimages made them lose money.

"Suddenly I was prohibited from entering, so I wasn't given much news from yesterday. Because I've been shopping a lot, it's quiet, isn't it. Yes, it's down (the Turnover), the pilgrims also said it's closed. There's a lot of capital, I've had up to IDR 15 million shopping. What else do you want? Thank you," said one of the flower sellers at Pondok Kelapa TPU, East Jakarta as quoted on the detik.com page, May 12, 2021.