Christmas And New Year Holidays, People Waiting For Test Results Do Not Travel

Illustration (Photo: Irfan Meidianto / VOI)

JAKARTA - Spokesperson for the COVID-19 Handling Task Force (Task Force) Wiku Adisasmito reminded the public of the risk of contracting COVID-19 ahead of the Christmas and New Year holidays.

According to him, there are three groups that must cancel trips out of town amid the COVID-19 pandemic to prevent the risk of transmission in the community.

"We remind the public to cancel the trip if they are sick, are suspected or positive for COVID-19 even though they have no symptoms, or are waiting for the results of the COVID-19 test," Wiku said in a press conference that was broadcast online on Thursday, December 17.

Then, if they are not sick but still want to travel, the community still has to do a few things.

First, he said, people who are going to travel are required to carry out health protocols, keep their distance, wear masks, and wash their hands.

Next, comply with the entry requirements to the destination set by the local government. "Read carefully the rules that have been established for each region. Although it may be difficult, all the rules set out in principle are made to ensure that travelers are in good health and prevent the spread of COVID-19," he said.

Third, people who want to travel must find out the conditions of the spread of COVID-19 at their destination and health facilities in the area.

"Avoid traveling to places with high cases of COVID-19 and limited health facilities. As we all know, the capacity of isolation beds and ICUs is currently still limited. Especially in areas where cases are still high. Make this also a consideration so as not to make it difficult. themselves and the local government, "he said.

Furthermore, Wiku assessed that the Christmas and New Year holidays have the potential to cause the spread of COVID-19 cases in various regions. During this kind of holiday, the mobility of the people is often higher and this is usually due to the fact that many of them are doing hospitality, doing religious activities, or traveling.

So to prevent this, he reminded the public that it is better not to travel, let alone visit places in areas with red zones.

"It is necessary to remember that the mobility carried out by the community in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic has the potential to endanger travelers and their closest people because no one knows where COVID-19 originated," he said.

"We have been facing this pandemic for about 10 months and I know this pandemic is very hard for all of us. However, we must train ourselves to become responsible individuals," he concluded.