Many Violations of Health Protocols, Sampang Regency Government Enacts Health Quarantine Law

Secretary of the Sampang Regency Government's COVID-19 Task Force, Yuliadi Setiawan/ANTARA

SAMPANG - The District Government of Sampang, East Java, has decided to implement the Health Quarantine Law, following the many violations of health protocol discipline enforcement.

"Inevitably, whether we like it or not, we are implementing the Health Quarantine Law, and we are doing this for the benefit of the wider community and the health of the people of Sampang", said Secretary of the Sampang Regency Government's COVID-19 Task Force, Yuliadi Setiawan, quoted by Antara, Monday, August 9.

The government, he continued, has implemented restrictions on community activities (PPKM) and tightened the discipline of health protocols.

But in reality, there are still many residents who ignore the enforcement of health protocol disciplines that it was found that some residents were holding mass entertainment parties in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Protests against law enforcement against individuals who violate the health protocol have indeed been carried out, that some of the violators of the health protocol have been tried at the Sampang District Court.

However, he continued, this does not provide a deterrent effect, so there are still residents who commit violations and carry out activities that have the potential to cause crowds by tricking the officers.

"On that basis, we consider it necessary to implement the health quarantine law, so that people who violate are expected to provide a deterrent effect", he said.

According to him, so far the Sampang Regency Government has continued to prioritize persuasive, educative, and humanist actions, in providing socialization of health protocol discipline enforcement. However, the humanist pattern of law enforcement is less noticed by the public.

"If the Health Quarantine Law is implemented, residents who are still determined to commit violations can be subject to imprisonment. And the sanctions have been stated in Article 92, Article 93, and Article 95", he said.

One of the contents of the article in the Health Quarantine Law explains that anyone who does not comply with the implementation of health quarantine to cause a public health emergency shall be punished with a maximum imprisonment of one year and/or a maximum fine of IDR 100 million.