Vaccines Become A Requirement For Activities In Jakarta, Epidemiology: There Are Negative Impacts

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JAKARTA - The DKI Provincial Government has added vaccination requirements for activities for its citizens during the period of the Community Activity Restrictions (PPKM).

However, an epidemiologist from Griffity University Australia, Dicky Budiman, asked DKI to be careful of the negative impacts caused. There is a possibility that residents feel a false sense of security in carrying out their activities because they have been vaccinated, so they are unaware of health protocols.

"There is a negative impact. So, they may feel falsely safe. This is dangerous because vaccination is not a guarantee that they will not get infected. This is something that must be realized," said Dicky to VOI, Monday, August 2.

Of course, said Dicky, the addition of the requirement to have been vaccinated to carry out activities outside the home will encourage positive things, namely increasing the acceleration of vaccination.

However, the community must continue to comply with health protocols and the local government to strengthen efforts to handle testing, tracing, and treatment (3T).

"If the 3T and 5M are weak, they will come back again, and even create new variants whose vaccines are ultimately ineffective," he said.

In addition, the government must establish a mature mechanism for checking vaccination certificates to prevent counterfeiting.

"It must also be ensured that the proof of the vaccination certificate is how to prevent it, because there are many forgeries, whether digital or what. This must be confirmed," he said. For information, Anies has issued vaccination rules as a condition for activities. The rules are applied to employees and customers of restaurants, food stalls, offices, malls, traditional markets, salons, hotels, to wedding guests.

He said, this effort was made to suppress the spread of the virus when non-essential sectors were opened. "Looking at the fact that in Jakarta the speed of vaccine delivery is quite high, and the reach of those who have been vaccinated has reached 7.5 million. So we decided that the vaccine is part of the stage for community activities," said Anies, Saturday, July 31.

Furthermore, Anies said that the opening in each sector will be carried out in stages, and it is certain that this stage must be related to vaccination.

"Before the activity starts, the perpetrators in that sector, the perpetrators of the activities must be vaccinated first. So, for example, a barber who wants to open, may. But the barber must be vaccinated first, and those who want to shave must have been vaccinated. vaccinate employees first. Those who want to eat in restaurants must also have the vaccine," he said.

Not only that, said Anies, non-essential offices that want to carry out work from office (WFO), shopping centers, entertainment venues may also open if they have been vaccinated. Thus, the opening stage is accompanied by the necessity to vaccinate all perpetrators.

Vaccine requirements as an administrative activity include religious activities. The organizers, as well as the participants, must all have been vaccinated.