Yogyakarta's Way To Reduce The Spread Of COVID-19: Increase The Area Without Smoking

Illustration. (Yudhistira Mahabarata / VOI)

JAKARTA - The Yogyakarta government will strengthen the existence of smoke-free areas as regulated in Regional Regulation No.2 of 2017 as an effort to support the prevention of COVID-19 transmission, especially in public places.

"Smokers are considered to have the potential to be exposed to or even transmit the corona virus to other people. The hope is that the existence of a smoking-free area (KTR) in Yogyakarta can be strengthened to support efforts to prevent the transmission of COVID-19," said Yogyakarta Heroe, Daily Chairperson of the COVID-19 Handling Task Force. Poerwadi quoted from Antara, Sunday 6 September.

According to him, the potential for transmission of the corona virus can occur if cigarette butts are thrown away carelessly because they contain smoker's saliva.

If the smoker is exposed to the corona virus, he continued, it is possible that the discarded cigarette butts also carry the same virus.

In addition, he continued, between the fingers of smokers can also be exposed to the virus by holding cigarette butts.

"The hope is that cigarette butts can be destroyed so that there is no potential for transmitting the virus to other people," he said.

Meanwhile, Secretary of the Yogyakarta City Health Office Tri Mardaya said the mandatory use of masks in public places could actually reduce the potential for smokers to smoke carelessly.

"If you smoke, you have to open your mask first and now the number of smokers who smoke at random has decreased," he said.

Even so, Tri said that the existence of a smoking-free area is indeed a strategic factor to support the prevention of COVID-19 transmission.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic occurred, the Yogyakarta City Health Office was preparing to launch a smoking-free area in Malioboro. However, the plan was delayed until recently due to the pandemic.

"However, we will prepare again for the launch of this movement. The momentum of this pandemic is precisely the right time to reactivate this movement," he said.

He also hoped that smokers who were still smoking in the open would crush cigarette butts or throw them away in the space provided to reduce the potential for transmission.

Smokers who violate the rules will be subject to sanctions in the form of a maximum of one month imprisonment or a fine of IDR 7.5 million. Based on Perda No.2 of 2017, smoke-free areas in the city of Yogyakarta include education, health, offices and workplaces, children's playgrounds, places of worship, public transportation, public places, and other designated places.

In these smoke-free areas, there are regulations on the prohibition of smoking, producing, selling and advertising cigarette products.