COVID Trend Through Dining Table, Epidemiologist Asks Task Force To Rule Restaurant To Only Take Away

ILLUSTRATION / Swab hunter in Surabaya (DOK. City Government of Surabaya)

JAKARTA - Epidemiologist from Australia's Griffith University, Dicky Budiman asked the COVID-19 Task Force to start considering a ban on dining-in for restaurants and food courts. This policy is the same as that of the Australian government.

This was conveyed following the trend of COVID-19 spreading through the dining table. Later, many infections occur when one person eats together even though he/she has previously followed health protocols.

It was the same as experienced by Doni Monardo, Head of the Task Force for Handling COVID-19. Some time ago Doni stated that he had contracted the virus after eating together during a visit to the location of a natural disaster.

"In addition to socialization and education, regulations need to be strengthened. For example, you are not allowed to eat together or the setting of the place is regulated. In Australia, for example, when the situation is still serious, there is no such thing as a food court to be opened or a restaurant to sit there," said Dicky when contacted by VOI, Wednesday, January 27.

"So there is no public place where the seats can gather are opened and when it is violated, there will be sanctions," he added.

If Dicky asks for a regulation, a different view is conveyed by the Head of the Professional Development Division of the Indonesian Epidemiologist Association (PAEI) Masdalina Pane.

According to her, people should not eat together in the midst of the current pandemic.

"Don't eat together in public places. Because controlling the transmission of COVID-19 in public places can only be prevented by avoiding crowds or staying at home. Do not leave the house if it is not very important," she said.

Meanwhile, the COVID-19 Task Force and the government were asked to focus on working on 3M, namely maintaining distance, wearing masks, and washing hands as well as 3T, namely testing, tracing, treatment.

"Then, if you make a policy, look at the control guidelines. If there are no guidelines, there is no need to make it up because not all guideline points have been implemented," he concluded.