JAKARTA - Deputy Chairman of DPD Sultan B Najamudin responded to Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi's statement that did not prohibit people from going home for Eid 2021.
The Sultan admitted that he was happy that the government had given permission for the community to celebrate Eid al-Fitr with their families in their hometowns.
"It's just that besides the joy of welcoming this decision, there is also anxiety about the spike in COVID-19 infection cases that I feel," said Sultan in Jakarta, Tuesday, March 16.
Not without reason, the Sultan continued to worry about the spike in COVID-19 cases regarding the evaluation of the handling of the pandemic in Indonesia.
"Countries that have succeeded in controlling the spread of COVID-19, in addition to optimally carrying out testing and tracing, are countries that have succeeded in monitoring human movement, and we have failed in this," he said.
Apart from the problem of limited health supporting infrastructure, said Sultan, Indonesia's geographic contours are also very complex. Coupled with the problem of the country's large population and spread evenly throughout the archipelago.
"Of course it has an impact on the difficulty of the government in tracking human interaction patterns," he said.
The former deputy governor of Bengkulu also asked that all entrances to the border areas be strictly guarded by health protocols. The government, according to him, must prepare posts at all airports, ports and roads at entry points for homecoming flows.
Later, the post must also provide test kits for prevention and evacuation facilities and hospitals in each special area to handle COVID-19 cases.
"The government must work hard and be extra prime. The challenge for Eid this time is not only the traffic jams going back and forth. But how about the hustle and bustle of the holiday, the government can still suppress the growth rate of Corona cases," explained Sultan.
"The question is, has the government prepared the technical details for this matter ?," asked the Bengkulu senator.
If there is no proper preparation and support for adequate health infrastructure in all regions, the Sultan predicts there will be an additional explosion of COVID-19 patients in Indonesia.
"And if that happens, the government will have more difficulty controlling its spread," he said.
Previously, the Minister of Transportation (Menhub) Budi Karya Sumadi stated that his party did not prohibit the public from carrying out the Eid homecoming, even though the COVID-19 pandemic had not yet subsided.
"Regarding homecoming in principle, the Ministry of Transportation does not prohibit it," Budi said at a Working Meeting with Commission V DPR, Tuesday, March 16.
However, he said, the Ministry of Transportation and the COVID-19 Task Force would create a strict health protocol mechanism related to the implementation of this year's homecoming.
"We will coordinate with the task force, that the homecoming mechanism will be arranged together with tightening and tracing those who are doing homecoming," he continued.
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