DKI Deputy Governor Asks Its Citizens Not To Leave The City During Long Holiday End Of October

Deputy Governor of DKI Jakarta Ahmad Riza Patrai (Photo: Twitter @BangAriza)

JAKARTA - Deputy Governor of DKI Jakarta Ahmad Riza Patria asked DKI residents not to travel out of town during long holidays or leave together in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

The long holiday will fall at the end of October. To be precise, on 29 October 2020 to commemorate the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad SAW, then on 28 and 30 October 2020 it will be a joint leave.

"We appealed to the long holiday at the end of October so that as much as possible the citizens of Jakarta should not leave the city, let alone carry out crowd activities," said Riza on Monday, October 19.

Riza wants DKI residents to remember the spike in COVID-19 transmission in the capital one week after the long holiday (long weekend) commemorating Indonesian Independence Day, on August 17.

He said, many Jakartans who went on vacation outside the city did not comply with health protocols. So, many have contracted the corona virus.

"We learn from the events of two long holidays in Jakarta. This has increased significantly," said the Gerindra Party politician.

"If there is easing anywhere, it means that the potential for people to leave the house increases, the potential for people to interact with them, and the potential for crowds can increase. Finally, the potential for transmission to spread can increase," he continued.

For information, DKI Jakarta has recorded new positive daily cases of COVID-19 which has jumped from usual, reaching 1,114 people at the end of last August.

DKI Health Office notes, one of the causes was donated from the long weekend cluster. Of these, 385 cases are the accumulated data of 7 days previously recently reported, most of which were exposed to COVID-19 during the long weekend in the period 16-22 August 2020.

"The specimen collection rate on August 27 is also quite high, we need to consider the long weekend effect for two consecutive weeks. There needs to be vigilance and joint efforts, both by the Government and the community, in seeing the increasing trend in this case," Head of Disease Prevention and Control Division , DKI Jakarta Provincial Health Office, Dwi Oktavia, Sunday, August 30.

He explained, if counted backwards, the most frequent incubation period is 6 days, then the patient accesses the PCR examination 1-2 days later, then the highest transmission period occurs on 16-17 August 2020. This coincides with a long holiday.