IDI: Very Really Please Don't Demo Against PPKM, Jakarta Is Not Good

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION ANTARA/Wisma Athletes Kemayoran where COVID-19 patients are isolated

JAKARTA - Head of the COVID-19 Task Force (Satgas) of the Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI) Prof. Zubairi Djoerban asked the people of DKI Jakarta not to hold demonstrations against PPKM so as not to risk creating a new cluster.

"So, please don't take a demonstration (demonstration), because the data shows that Jakarta is doing well. So there is no reason for a demonstration (rejecting PPKM) because the results are good," said Zubairi, quoted by Antara, Friday, July 23.

According to Zubairi, demonstrations such as long marches will have the potential to gather large numbers of people, thereby risking creating new clusters.

He said the public could voice their views using other means if there was a disagreement regarding the extension of the PPKM.

Ways to voice opinions that do not cause crowds, for example, through online discussions, making press statements or presenting objectionable content through social media.

Meanwhile, COVID-19 data in DKI Jakarta shows a decline in the positivity rate in the past week, from around 40 percent to 25.7 percent since the Emergency PPKM.

The "positivity rate" is the ratio between the number of positive cases of COVID-19 and the number of tests performed.

"The data (the positivity rate) fell (in the last week) shows that the implementation of PPKM during the past week in DKI Jakarta is starting to show results," said Zubairi.

Therefore, he asked the public to think again if they wanted to reject the PPKM using methods that could potentially cause crowds, such as holding demonstrations.

"Because the purpose of the demonstration (demonstration) is to overcome the COVID-19 problem. Now it has begun to be resolved slowly, dropping from 40 to 25.7 percent 'positivity rate' in the last week in Jakarta," said Zubairi.