Rizieq Sihab Denies Obstructing The COVID-19 Task Force: Ponpes Again Lockdown!

Rizieq Shihab at Polda Metro Jaya (Photo: Wardhany / VOI)

JAKARTA - Rizieq Shihab denied that there were any attempts to obstruct the Bogor Regency COVID-19 task force from carrying out a rapid test for students and managers of the Markaz Syariah Islamic Boarding School after the crowd.

According to Rizieq, the real thing happened because the Islamic boarding school was implementing a lockdown. So, not just anyone is allowed to enter.

"Indeed, the pesantren is in lockdown. Nobody may enter except residents of the Sharia headquarters. Who are the residents of the Sharia headquarters? Kyai, students, teachers, that's all they can enter, outsiders are not allowed to enter," Rizieq said in a trial at the District Court. East Jakarta, Monday, April 19.

For that reason, the COVID-19 Task Force officers were not allowed to enter. Especially because they are outsiders.

"So I apologize. It is not impossible for the Camat to enter the pesantren when he comes for the rapid test," he said.

On the other hand, Rizieq emphasized that the health protocol in the pesantren has been running well. This is because there is a team that is prepared to regularly check the health of the pesantren residents.

"Because the pesantren is implementing a lockdown. So we need our own team from the MER-C team. We bring them in, they check it regularly. They can come twice a month, if someone is sick or someone is reactive, we care and so on, "he said.

Previously, Rizieq Shihab was said to have prohibited the Bogor Regency Government from carrying out a rapid test of students and administrators of the Markaz Syariah Agro-cultural Islamic Boarding School. Even though Bogor Regency has entered the red zone for the spread of COVID-19.

Rizieq Shihab's prohibition is contained in a letter issued by the Islamic boarding school number 01 / MSMM / SJDK / XI1442, dated November 28. The letter was addressed to the Bogor District Health Office.

"The contents of the letter stated that the Bogor Regency COVID-19 Task Force team was not allowed to carry out rapid tests on Islamic boarding school students and also their administrators on the grounds that the argokultur Islamic boarding school had carried out a rapid test with the MER-C team on Saturday, November 21, 2020," said the prosecutor reading out the indictment at the East Jakarta District Court, Friday, March 19.

While the order to carry out a rapid test of students and board of Islamic boarding schools is contained in a letter issued by the Regent of Bogor, Ade Yasin, number 333 / Covid-19 / Sekret / XI / 2020.

In addition, the order to carry out a rapid test is also based on the increase in positive confirmed cases due to crowds at Rizieq Shihab's activities together with his supporters of around 3 thousand people on November 13. The Rizieq Shihab crowd is thought to have created a new cluster for the spread of COVID-19.

"So that it has hindered the efforts of the Bogor Regency Regional Government in efforts to monitor and overcome the spread of COVID-19 with a target that was originally in the orange zone (moderate risk) to be restored to a green zone (not affected) or at least remain in the orange zone. "But what happened was the opposite, namely increasing to the red zone (high risk) so that the Bogor Regency Government had to extend the PSBB status," said the prosecutor.