Citizens Under 45 Who Can Work During The COVID-19 Pandemic Limited In 11 Business Sector Areas

Chairperson of the Task Force for the Acceleration of Handling COVID-19 Doni Monardo (BPNB document)

JAKARTA - Chairperson of the Task Force for the Acceleration of Handling COVID-19 Doni Monardo said that residents under 45 years old can work in the midst of a pandemic to reduce the 'layoff virus'.

Doni said, residents in this age range can work, but limited to those in 11 business sectors that have been regulated by the government in accordance with the Minister of Health Regulation Number 9 of 2020 Article 13.

"So there are 11 areas of activity that can be allowed," Doni said in a press conference after the limited meeting which was broadcast on the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube account, Tuesday, May 12.

The 11 fields of activity allowed under the Permenkes are health, foodstuff or food and beverage, energy, communication and information technology, finance, logistics, hospitality, construction, industry, basic services to vital objects, and daily needs.

At companies in these 11 fields, Doni then asked them to employ employees aged 45 years and under. Meanwhile, workers over 45 years of age are prohibited from working because they have a high mortality rate, seen from the data from the Task Force for the Acceleration of Handling COVID-19.

"Ages 60 and over experience the highest mortality, namely 45 percent, then ages 46 to 59 years experience death by 40 percent," said the Head of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), adding that they had collected this data since two months ago.

Worker illustration (Angga Nugraha / VOI)

According to him, the 46-59 year old age range is vulnerable to the corona virus and the mortality ratio is so high because usually they have comorbidities or comorbidities; such as hypertension, heart disease, asthma, kidney, and other health problems.

Despite allowing residents under the age of 45 to return to work, Doni reminded them that they still have to maintain health protocols. Moreover, this age group is vulnerable to becoming a carrier or virus carrier.

So that when choosing to work, said Doni, people at this vulnerable age must take care of themselves and not get closer to their more vulnerable families so that the virus does not spread.

"At home, you must be able to carry out a health protocol to keep your distance," he said.

Meanwhile, people who are over 45 years old and have comorbid diseases should stay at home. Especially for those with kidney and heart problems. This is because the death rate for positive patients with COVID-19 with congenital kidney and heart disease is quite high.

"Of the 10 people affected by covid but have kidney comorbidities, out of 10 the death rate reaches 7 people or to be precise 6.8 people. This means very high. Both hearts, the death rate is also the same," he concluded.