Dozens Of Persib Bandung COVID-19 Squad Members, Ridwan Kamil: Lessons For All Of Us, Prokes Is Very Important

West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil. (ANTARA/HO-Humas West Java Provincial Government)

BANDUNG - West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil said he was concerned and empathized with the spike in COVID-19 cases in the Persib Bandung squad which reached 17 people, both players and officials.

The spike in COVID-19 cases in the Persib squad led to the postponement of the Indonesian Liga 1 match against PSM Makassar which was originally scheduled to take place in Bali, Wednesday, February 2, because the Maung Bandung squad did not meet the minimum threshold to compete.

"A lesson for all of us, progress is very important. Not only during matches, but outside of matches," said the man who is familiarly called Kang Emil at the Pakuan Negara building, Bandung City, as reported by Antara, Thursday, February 3.

"The activities of players and officials after the match are the responsibility of the team," he added.

Kang Emil personally regretted this condition, however, he prayed that all parties in the Persib squad who were exposed to COVID-19 could recover soon.

"It will disappoint everyone. Because the only sport that unites us is football, and especially Persib, the pride of Bobotoh in the world, is highly anticipated," he said.

"I pray that all players and officials who are positive for COVID-19 recover quickly and the virus does not spread further in the Persib team," he continued.

On the other hand, Ridwan Kamil also appealed to Persib to calm down regarding the suspension of the match because he himself is still quite sure that the Blue Prince has shown a positive trend lately and has the potential to win, considering that they are in fourth place in the standings with a collection of 43 points, only four points adrift of Arema FC accompanied by save one game.

"The trend is winning. However, they are consistent in formulating the team. Everywhere I say, if you already have the winning team, don't change it too much," he said.

In addition, Kang Emil also appealed to the public to remain disciplined in implementing health protocols (prokes) in their activities and maintaining mental health. One of them is by looking for sources of happiness in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"So, take care of mental health too. Let's look for sources of happiness in the midst of situations that make a lot of people unhappy. One of them, family, follow nu heureuy, nu bodor accounts to increase immunity," he said.