Pamekasan Regency Government Cancels 491st Anniversary People's Party Due To Implementation Of PPKM Level 3 At The End Of The Year

Documentation of the performing arts at the opening of the Musabaqah Tilawatil Quran (MTQ) in Pamekasan in October 2021. (Photo: Abd Aziz/Antara)

JAKARTA - The Pamekasan Regency Government (Pemkab), East Java was forced to cancel the people's party which was planned to be held openly in commemoration of the 491st Anniversary of Pamekasan Regency due to the implementation of level 3 community activity restrictions (PPKM) at the end of the year. The government has set PPKM Level 3 starting on December 24, 2021, until January 2, 2022," said Regional Secretary (Sekda) of the Pamekasan Regency Government, Totok Hartono explaining the reason for the cancellation of the people's party activity in order to celebrate the 491st Anniversary of Pamekasan Regency, reported by Antara, Sunday, November 28. In the implementation of PPKM Level 3, various types of activities that invite mass crowds are prohibited, including open art performances. culture in the region. Even though the folk party was thwarted, the artists and culturalists remained He was given an activity room to perform his artwork, because the concept of the performance was changed. "We changed the concept from open to limited," said Totok.

In addition to the factor of implementing PPKM Level 3, the cancellation of the people's party was also due to several considerations. First, the district government did not want the spread of COVID-19 in Pamekasan Regency to increase again. Moreover, vaccination coverage in this district is still very low. Based on data from the Pamekasan Regency Health Office (Dinkes), the percentage of COVID-19 vaccinations in this district is still around 30 percent of the total population. Even though the minimum target set by the government is at least 70 percent of the total population. Second, the district government considers facilities and inputs from various elements of society, stating that if the people's party during the implementation of PPKM Level 3 is still held, many residents will hold the same activity.*