During The COVID-19 Pandemic, Homecoming Is More Hurtful

Situation at Pasar Senen Station (Angga Nugraha / VOI)

JAKARTA - The government officially prohibits going home. Not only for civil servants, but all Indonesian citizens. Believe me, in a pandemic like this for the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (Covid-19), going home is more of a disadvantage.

Indonesia will soon enter the holy month of Ramadan. A week before Eid Al-Fitr, usually residents will flock to their hometowns. A tradition that has been created from generation to generation.

Homecoming during Ramadan and Eid has indeed become a tradition of Indonesian society to keep in touch with parents and extended family. However, going home in this pandemic condition, tends to provide greater harm than the benefits.

"Homecoming during the pandemic is considered to have more disadvantages. Because going home can be a means of spreading COVID-19 to the village," said Minister of Religion Fachrul Razi, Tuesday, April 21 yesterday.

The government regulation regarding the ban on going home will be implemented in major cities, especially Jakarta, on Friday 24 April. The National Police is preparing a road blockage scheme to prevent people from returning to their hometowns.

The road blockage in question is not a closure. Instead, there is a checkpoint point which will be used to check two- and four-wheeled drivers.

Head of Public Relations of Polda Metro Jaya Kombes Yusri Yunus said that in implementing the ban on going home, there are at least 19 check points scattered in the Jakarta, Depok, Tangerang, Bekasi (Jadetabek) areas. Of the dozens of checkpoint points, three of them are on the toll road.

The three of them are located at the Cikarang Barat Toll Gate towards West Java, the Cimanggis Toll Gate towards Bogor, and the Bitung Toll Gate towards Merak. Later, officers will be alerted to check the drivers.

"If we love our families at home, we love our parents and siblings in the village, this year don't go home. We can establish friendship in other ways, for example by telephone or other," said the minister.

The government is aware that this prohibition is not very populist. Moreover, going home has become part of the traditions of Indonesian society. However, there is a high price that must be prepared if going home is not prohibited.

The spread of COVID-19 will become more widespread. People who are infected will be more and more scattered all over the country. So, on the basis of safety, the government really hopes that no one will be wayward by violating this prohibition.

"However, we all know that the current situation is not possible. Therefore, the Government, in this case the President, will prohibit going home from April 24th. And we support that," he continued.

Director of the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (INDEF) Enny Sri Hartati assessed that the ban on going home has the potential to reduce the national economy. This is because this tradition has become a field for the growth of public consumption.

But once again, there is no other way that the government has implemented to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus. If the government does not focus on stopping the spread of the COVID-19 virus, this outbreak will not be over. Thus, the impact on economic recovery will also be long.