Mahfud: The Increase In COVID-19 Cases Is Not Related To The 2020 Pilkada

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud MD (Irfan Meidianto / VOI)

JAKARTA - The Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs (Menko Polhukam) Mahfud MD said that the increase in COVID-19 cases in the country occurred not because of the 2020 simultaneous regional elections.

Based on the data presented by the COVID-19 Task Force, the level of implementation of the health protocol at the time of voting momentum was quite high. Data from the COVID-19 Task Force, the percentage of compliance with the figures for wearing masks during the 2020 Pilkada reached 96.59 percent while maintaining distance reached 91.46 percent.

"We are happy, grateful that we have heard information based on data about the control of COVID-19 in the special context of the 2020 simultaneous regional elections," Mahfud said in a press conference broadcast on the BNPB YouTube account, Wednesday, December 9.

He said this data also refuted the statements of a number of parties who were concerned about the cluster of COVID-19 transmission that had been voiced by various parties some time ago when the government decided to hold regional elections. Moreover, he also obtained data, the number of increasing positive cases of COVID-19 between regions that held and did not hold elections was actually not much different.

"Even in some areas where there were no pilkada, the COVID-19 attack was also large, although in areas where there were regional elections there was a large development of infection," he said.

"So there is actually no relationship between the amount of COVID-19 infection and the Pilkada administration as previously stated," he added.

Even so, Mahfud asked all parties not to be complacent and remain vigilant. Given, there are still several stages of the elections to be followed. "The Pilkada stages will still continue until finally the KPU's final decision will be followed by the inauguration of those declared as elected regional heads," he said.

It is known, a member of the COVID-19 Handling Task Force Expert Team, Dewi Nur Aisyah, explained the data to monitor the implementation of health protocol compliance with voters and polling stations (TPS) in areas that hold the 2020 simultaneous regional elections.

This monitoring is recorded in the United Against COVID-19 (BLC) application which is presented in real time and carried out to more than 270 thousand voters from 34 thousand locations in 299 districts / cities.

As a result, public compliance with the use of masks in the middle of the 2020 regional elections reached 96.59 percent. Meanwhile, community compliance in maintaining distance reached 91.46 percent.

In the data, it was also noted that the voters of Papua Province were in the lowest order, obeying the health protocol. Meanwhile, Southeast Sulawesi is in the highest order.

"If we look at the provincial level, we can see that there is a range here between each province with the obedience to wearing a mask, the highest we can see is 100 percent in Southeast Sulawesi and the lowest is 80.95 percent in Papua," he said. Dewi in the BNPB Indonesia Youtube live broadcast, Wednesday, December 9.

With regard to maintaining distance, the province with the highest compliance is also in Southeast Sulawesi with 100 percent.

"Until the end of the list, this is in Papua in the last position regarding compliance with maintaining a distance of 64.73 percent. We can also evaluate the regions later," said Dewi.