Islamic Boarding Schools Are Active Again, These Are Notes From The Vice Minister Of Health Care To Prevent COVID-19

Zainut Tauhid Saadi, Deputy Minister of Religion. (Special)

JAKARTA - Eid holiday for Islamic boarding school students is over. They will gradually go to their pesantren to return to study and recite the Koran. Deputy Minister of Religion Zainut Tauhid Saadi hopes that Islamic boarding schools can prepare themselves to welcome the arrival of students in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Islamic boarding schools need to tighten the implementation of health protocols to anticipate the spread of COVID-19. This is because conditions after the holidays are usually followed by an increase in the potential for the spread of COVID-19.

"As an anticipatory measure, pesantren are expected to tighten health protocols regarding the arrival of students from various regions. Don't forget to coordinate with the local task force to prevent the spread of COVID-19," explained the Deputy Minister of Religion in Jakarta, Monday (7/6/2021).

"For Islamic boarding schools located in areas with red zones, I hope they are more vigilant. As an anticipatory measure, if necessary, postpone the plan for the opening of learning activities," he continued, according to a press release sent to the VOI editor on Monday, June 7.

According to him, the COVID-19 pandemic has not experienced a significant decline. Daily cases in Indonesia from 26 to 31 May for example, the average is still above 5,000. There was a slight decline on June 1, 2021, but still at 4,824.

"In a number of areas, there are currently an increase in daily positive cases of COVID-19. This needs to be a common concern, including the students and Islamic boarding schools. We certainly do not expect clusters to reappear in Islamic boarding schools. This has to be anticipated from the start,” said the Deputy Minister of Religion.

"I ask the ranks of the Ministry of Religion in the regions to be proactive in conducting guidance in the application of health protocols in Islamic boarding schools," he said while hoping that even though pesantren were open, health protocols must still be implemented to minimize the spread of COVID-19.