Some Areas Are Free From COVID-19, Don't Go Home

Head of BNPB Lt. Gen. Doni Munardo (Wardhany Tsa Tsia / VOI)

JAKARTA - Chairman of the Task Force for the Acceleration of Handling COVID-19, Doni Monardo, again reminded the public not to return to their hometowns for whatever reason. This prohibition, he said, was intended so that there was no spread in areas that were already free of COVID-19.

However, he did not specify which areas were free from the virus. It's just that, he emphasized, people are strictly prohibited from returning to their hometowns.

"There are several provinces with zero cases. Do not let travelers have new problems," Doni said in a press conference after a limited meeting broadcast on the Cabinet Secretariat YouTube account, Monday, May 4.

This is because, even though the ban has been implemented since last April 24, there are still many people who are desperate to go home. So he asked the whole community to resist the urge to go home.

Moreover, there are currently insufficient pulmonary specialist doctors in the region, so it is feared that it will cause new problems.

"The number of our pulmonary doctors is 1,973 people. This means that one pulmonary doctor must serve 1.2 million Indonesian citizens. So that we allow ourselves to be exposed and our environment to be exposed, in that area there are no pulmonary doctors," he said.

After all, said Doni, the government is currently preparing options to replace Lebaran leave. So, people don't need to force themselves to go home to Eid Al-Fitr in the midst of a pandemic like now.

"Mr. KSP (Moeldoko) provided input to the President to consider which one would be better, whether it was during Eid-ul-Adha at the end of July or at the end of the year," he explained.

However, Doni again said that the replacement of joint leave depends on the existing conditions in the community.

The more people comply with the Large-Scale Social Restrictions (PSBB) policy and health protocols, the sooner the government will decide to substitute for Eid al-Fitr leave.

"The more we are disciplined, the more obedient we are, the more we obey health protocols, the faster we can enjoy a normal life atmosphere," he concluded.