Jakarta Office Cluster COVID-19 Increases, Companies Do Not Stubbornly Violate WFO Employee Capacity

Illustration-Work at the office (Photo: Unsplash)

JAKARTA - The DKI Provincial Government has recorded an increase in COVID-19 cases in office clusters in Jakarta. An epidemiologist from Australia's Griffith University, Dicky Budiman said that one of the factors was the increasing number of employees working in the office or work from the office (WFO).

In fact, in the regulation imposing restrictions on micro-community activities (PPKM), the government limits 50 percent of WFO employees and 50 percent of work from home (WFH) or work at home (WFH).

"Currently, WFO in Jakarta companies tends to increase or their capacity is approaching the pre-pandemic situation", Dicky told VOI, Tuesday, April 27.

Dicky suspects that the reason for several recalcitrant companies to increase the capacity of employees for WFO is because they feel safe from spreading COVID-19 after undergoing vaccination.

In fact, the COVID-19 vaccination does not guarantee a person not to be infected with the coronavirus. Dicky said that vaccination only reduces the impact of the symptoms he feels when he is infected with COVID-19.

"This is what is wrong. The employee who was working at home because of the high risk of contracting continues to be vaccinated, he is ordered to enter the office. This is the wrong mistake", said Dicky.

"It must be understood that people who are vaccinated are not likely to be infected. They can, but they are protected from the risk of severe symptoms", he continued.

Therefore, Dicky hopes that the company will no longer be stubborn in violating the capacity limits of WFO employees. Moreover, office employees still get a steady monthly income even though they work from home.

"They work at home and it is not difficult for them to earn income. It is different if, for example, the WFH obligations for the general public who do not have a regular income. It's troublesome, difficult", he said.

For information, in its Instagram account, the DKI Provincial Government noted an increase in hundreds of positive cases of COVID-19 in offices in just one week.

In the period April 5-11, 2021, it is said that there were 157 cases of COVID-19 in offices. Cases spread from 78 offices in the capital. Then on April 12-18, the number of cases increased to 425 people in 177 offices. This means, there are an additional 268 patients in one week.