Cancel 100 Percent PTM On February 7, Bekasi Regency Government Waits For COVID To Slope

Head of the Bekasi Regency Education Office, Carwinda. (AMONG)

BEKASI - The Bekasi Regency Government, West Java, postponed the implementation of 100 percent face-to-face learning which was originally planned to start on February 7, 2022.

"Earlier on February 7, we started 100 percent face-to-face learning (PTM), but the increase in active COVID-19 cases made the plan postponed again", said Head of the Bekasi Regency Education Office, Carwinda in Cikarang, Bekasi Regency, Antara on Thursday, February 3.

He said this delay was temporary until the level of the spread of the Coronavirus, especially in the education unit environment, could be controlled. During the delay period, his party still applies limited face-to-face learning activities.

"Currently we are still implementing limited face-to-face meetings with a capacity of 50 percent in each school, except in certain schools which are currently receiving treatment from our COVID-19 Task Force", he said.

In several schools, he said, the Bekasi District COVID-19 Handling Task Force was forced to temporarily suspend learning activities until a predetermined time limit.

"The Task Force has temporarily suspended teaching and learning activities in schools where there are students who have been exposed to COVID-19 for the next five days. While waiting for treatment, the schools are temporarily conducting online learning until the Task Force permits to hold 50 percent PTM again", he said.

He admitted that similar conditions also occurred in several buffer areas of the Capital City where the rate of spread of COVID-19 cases experienced a peak in February 2022 so it also had an impact on activities within the education unit.

"Because there is an estimate that the culmination point of the spread will be in February, the impact of the long Christmas and New Year holidays yesterday", he said.

Carwinda is optimistic that the 100 percent PTM plan can be implemented starting next month, of course, taking into account the level of spread of COVID-19 in the Bekasi Regency.

"It is possible that in early March we will run PTM 100 percent with a record that the spread of the Coronavirus can be controlled. We always coordinate with the COVID-19 Task Force to ask for opinions because they know better what the situation is", he said.

Meanwhile, Bekasi Regency COVID-19 Task Force Spokesperson, Alamsyah, said as many as 45 students were exposed to COVID-19 during the January 2022 period with an uneven distribution rate, which only occurred in a few schools.

This condition forced his party to provide recommendations to temporarily stop teaching and learning activities in schools where students were confirmed positive for COVID-19, including postponing face-to-face learning 100 percent.

"A total of 45 students have tested positive for COVID-19, not including the two students of SMAN 6 Tambun Selatan School. The distribution areas are only in Setu, Cibitung, Babelan, and South Tambun sub-districts. It is suspected that they were exposed to clusters outside the education unit", said Alamsyah.