Even Though It Is Sloping, Acehnese Are Asked Not To Be Careless About The Third Wave Of COVID-19

Illustration (Photo: Antara)

ACEH - Deputy Speaker of the Aceh House of Representatives, Safaruddin, asked the provincial government and the public not to be careless amid the declining trend of COVID-19 cases in Aceh, but also to be aware of the potential for a third wave of cases to spike.

"We have heard about the potential for a third wave of COVID-19 cases spikes in big cities, so we don't need to be careless, we also need to be careful so that there won't be another spike in cases in our area," Safaruddin said in Banda Aceh, reported by Antara, Tuesday, November 9.

As of Monday, November 9, data from the Aceh COVID-19 Task Force shows that the cumulative COVID-19 cases have reached 38,367 people, with details of 36,226 people having recovered, 2,062 people having died and the remaining 79 people are still under treatment or self-isolation.

On this occasion, he said, the declining condition of COVID-19 should be grateful, so that only 82 more infected patients are receiving medical treatment.

However, according to him, the public must still be aware that the potential spike in the third wave of COVID-19 cases as predicted by the experts could also occur in Aceh. So the way to anticipate it is by implementing strict health protocols.

"We can carry on as usual, but we must also remember that this pandemic is not over. We must fight this COVID-19 together, live side by side with the pandemic with health protocols," he said.

According to him, the discipline of health protocols such as wearing masks, maintaining distance, washing hands, avoiding crowds and reducing mobility has become an obligation for all of us during the pandemic. Moreover, in the future, people will face Christmas and New Year (Nataru) holidays. Reflecting on the surge that occurred due to the crowds at the end of 2020, it is necessary to keep mobility limited so that the potential for the third wave surge can be handled.

"The Aceh government has to think of steps to anticipate the spike due to crowds of residents without a procedure. High mobility during the Christmas and New Year holidays must also be our common concern to prevent a spike at the end of this year," he said.

In addition, he said, the coverage of the COVID-19 vaccination in Tanah Rencong was also still low. From the vaccination target of 4 million people in Aceh, only 1.3 million people have realized for the first dose, while only 711,534 people have completed the injection with the second dose.

"This is a concern and our joint effort to increase vaccination coverage so that herd immunity from COVID-19 is quickly formed in the community, so that we can quickly return to normal conditions," he said.