Boosters Become Travel Terms, Anies Asks Vaccines: Mandatory Or Not, Let's Take Responsibility

Anies Baswedan/Photo: Screenshot of the Total Politics Youtube channel

JAKARTA - DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan responded to the central government's plan to make a COVID-19 third dose vaccination certificate as a condition for community travel.

According to Anies, even though there is a booster vaccination obligation as a condition for mobility, residents still have to vaccinate as a responsibility so that the transmission of the corona virus can be suppressed.

"If there is a provision, we will implement it, whether it is mandatory or not for activities, let's take responsibility. After all, this protects all of us, right. So, it's not a matter of having a booster order, but whether we want to protect ourselves or not," said Anies at Taman Ismail Marzuki, Central Jakarta, Thursday, July 7th.

Anies revealed that currently the achievement of booster vaccination in the capital city is still 50 percent and has not met the immune limit. Therefore, Anies asked the people of Jakarta to immediately undergo vaccinations for those who have not.

"Let's make sure our bodies are ready, and I urge all those who haven't boosters, immediately. Jakarta is currently 50 percent who are already boosters. We have to raise, improve. I say Jakartans to move for those who haven't boosters, all boosters," he said.

The Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment as the Coordinator of the Java-Bali PPKM Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan in an official statement, Monday (4/7), said that the implementation of the booster vaccine as a condition for community mobility will only be applied no later than two weeks later.

The decision refers to the results of the Cabinet Limited Meeting chaired by President Joko Widodo and will be regulated through the COVID-19 Handling Task Force and other derivative regulations.

Currently, the Ministry of Transportation (Kemenhub) stated that it is preparing rules and mechanisms for implementing the third vaccine (booster) as a condition for transportation travel.

"Currently, the Ministry of Transportation is discussing the readiness to implement it with stakeholders in the transportation sector," said Transportation Ministry Spokesperson Adita Irawati.

The plan to implement a booster vaccine as a travel requirement will be followed by the implementation of vaccinations in various places, one of which is at transportation nodes such as airports, terminals, stations, and ports.