Is It True That The Transmission Of COVID-19 In Private Vehicles Is Bigger Than Public Transportation?

Illustration. (Angga Nugraha / VOI)

JAKARTA - Chairman of the Indonesian Transportation Society (MTI), Agus Taufik Mulyono said that the potential for transmission of the COVID-19 virus is higher in private vehicles compared to public transportation or mass transportation.

Taufik argued that this was because public transportation had strictly implemented the COVID-19 health protocol compared to private vehicles. In addition, private vehicles such as rental vehicles often travel overland during the Christmas and New Year holidays. This is feared of bringing the COVID-19 virus to the destination.

"Often people ask where is the potential for transmission of COVID-19 if it is related to transportation activities? Private transport, rental vehicles and others who travel overland are extraordinary (high transmission rate). Apart from imported COVID-19, there will also be potential for local transmission due to vehicles. land is having a special door-to-door character, "he said in a virtual discussion, Monday, December 21.

According to Agus, this needs to be monitored and found a way out. This is because the import of COVID-19 through private vehicles during the Christmas and New Year 2021 holidays is an important issue.

Moreover, said Agus, local district governments that are tourist destinations like Bali and others have very limited capabilities in managing COVID-19 control.

"Because it is like in Yogyakarta there is a policy for people not to leave, let them come from outside, but all of us cannot go out, this is one of the local policies," he explained.

On the other hand, Agus admitted that he was concerned about the increase in positive cases of COVID-19 during the holidays some time ago. He suspects this happened because of traveling using private cars which caused crowds and had a high potential in the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

"In the future, MTI together with related stakeholders will take an active role to give one attitude, how should this government be a government policy that confuses the public with rapid antigen and vaccines, and so on," he explained.