Odd-Even In Jakarta Is Applied If COVID-19 Cases Rise Again

Illustration (Angga Nugraha / VOI)

JAKARTA - DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan opens the opportunity to apply odd-even in Jakarta for four-wheeled and two-wheeled vehicles. This is regulated in the Governor Regulation (Pergub) Number 51 of 2020 concerning PSBB during the transition period towards a healthy, safe and productive society.

In Article 17 paragraph (2) letter a, private motorized vehicles in the form of motorbikes and cars operate on an odd-even principle in traffic control areas.

Even though he has published a legal reference, Anies said odd-even is not necessarily done. Anies will apply odd-even if the number of COVID-19 cases in Jakarta increases again.

Meanwhile, if the movement of the community during the transitional PSBB period does not make the curve for new cases of COVID-19 increase, then the odds for cars and motorbikes will not be enforced.

"We will look at the number of cases, the number of people traveling, from there later if needed (odd-even, red), it will be used. If it is not needed, it is not used," Anies told reporters, Monday, June 8.

Furthermore, said Anies, should the COVID-19 cases increase again, the odd-even application will only be officially enforced after Anies issued the DKI Governor's Decree.

"As long as there is no governor's decree, there will be no odd-even. This policy is carried out if it is deemed necessary to control the population outside the home because it turns out that more people leave the house than can be controlled," explained Anies.

Weighs the effectiveness of odd-even

The discourse on the odd-even system during the transitional PSBB implementation period caused polemics. This is because there is an assumption that this policy is not accompanied by the availability of adequate public transportation.

Public Policy Analyst from Trisaksi University, Trubus Rahadiansyah, said that the half-hearted impression on the policies issued by the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government is getting stronger. The reason is that the policy does not provide a solution for people who are asked to remain productive during the early days of COVID-19.

"Of course, it shows that this policy has no clear direction. If it is to increase the productivity of the community but does not provide a solution," said Trubus to VOI.

Trubus said, Governor Regulation Number 51 of 2020 Article 18 paragraph 2 letter K, which excludes online motorcycle taxi drivers from carrying passengers, will not solve the existing problem. The reason is, the governor's regulation also states a regulation limiting 50 percent of the capacity of other public transportation.

So, what will happen is a buildup of passengers. In fact, later on, the health protocol that must be prioritized will not work well. With health protocols in progress, it is certainly not impossible that new positive cases of COVID-19 will emerge.

"There must be a buildup. In the end, health protocols such as physical distancing and so on will not work well," said Trubus.