COVID-19 Never Takes A Break, The Task Force Asks The Public To Be Wise On The Long Holiday Of Al Isra' Wal Mi'raj

COVID-19 Handling Task Force Spokesperson Wiku Adisasmito (Photo: BNPB dock)

JAKARTA - Spokesperson for the COVID-19 Handling Task Force Wiku Adisasmito said that the long Al Isra' Wal Mi'raj holiday is expected not to damage the positive trend of decreasing COVID-19 cases in Indonesia. People are asked to be wiser when they leave their homes for a vacation.

"This shows that the handling of those infected with COVID-19 has been handled well. This trend of decreasing active cases must be maintained so that later, the active cases can disappear", said Wiku at the National Board for Disaster Management (BNPB), Jakarta, Friday, March 12.

Reflecting on the previous long holiday, the number of cases dying from COVID-19 has indeed risen drastically.

Referring to the development chart of death cases, from March to September 2020 there is a fairly high trend of mortality. Although it had decreased in October and November. In January 2021 cases have increased again.

"At this time, Indonesia is faced with a sudden pandemic, and is currently accelerating its handling, one of which is the Large-Scale Social Restrictions (PSBB) policy", said Wiku.

In July and August 2020, the number of deaths had decreased. However, this did not last because in September the death rate due to COVID-19 increased significantly, reaching 46 percent or 1.048 cases.

It is undeniable that this increase is due to the long holiday period of 15-17 and 20-23 August 2020. Even though, as already mentioned, it decreased again in October and November.

"This increase is also in line with the long holiday period of Christmas and New Year. In total, from November 2020-January 2021, 4.252 cases or an increase of more than 100 percent compared to October 2020". This means that there are implications of death from each long holiday event", said Wiku.

Furthermore, Wiku compared months without a long holiday period, the number of deaths was between 50-900 cases. Meanwhile, during the months with long holidays, the number of deaths increased sharply to reach 1000-2000 people.

"Imagine that in 1 month, we could lose more than 1000 lives just because we chose to travel and have a vacation", said Wiku.