JAKARTA - Epidemiologist from Australia's Griffith University, Dicky Budiman said that efforts to protect children in the midst of increasing cases of COVID-19 are not only carried out through the provision of vaccines. Stopping face-to-face learning (PTM) 100 percent in schools can also be a way to protect them.
"Once again, protecting these children is not only by vaccination, but also by limiting their mobility and interactions," said Dicky when contacted by VOI, Thursday, February 3.
"When we talk about PTM being stopped, it's temporarily stopped," he added.
Dicky assessed that the termination of the PTM implementation would not affect many things and would actually provide benefits for the child's family. So, parents should not have to worry.
Moreover, the termination of this PTM must be carried out especially if there are students who are exposed to the Omicron variant of COVID-19. The reason is that this variant can have a serious impact on those who do not have immunity because they have not been vaccinated.
Thus, online distance learning is appropriate to do while waiting for the declining number of cases which is predicted in early March.
"(PTM, ed) at least in early March it could have started to open and when this is done, the beneficiaries are not only the child in terms of his health but also his younger siblings who have not been vaccinated or have babies," he said. However, Dicky reminded the implementation of distance learning must also be accompanied by the implementation of work from home or work from home (WFH). The goal is to keep children safe at home.
"So this PTM cannot stand alone, there must be a WFH, want it at 50 percent, if you want 20 percent, it's up to the context of the office setting," said Dicky.
He asked the government to immediately take a stand regarding PTM which is still ongoing amid the increase in COVID-19 cases. Do not let, said Dicky, steps taken to be too late.
"If it's too late, it's not a public health response, it's not preventive but curative," he concluded.
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