Enter PPKM Level 4, Ende Regency Government Cancels Ritual Ahead Of August 17, Taga Kamba

Illustration - Execution of Taga Kamba traditional rituals (Photo: ANTARA/HO)

ENDE - The Government of Ende Regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) canceled the traditional Taga Kamba ritual which is usually held ahead of the Independence Day of the Republic of Indonesia due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The Regent (Regent of Ende, Achmad Djafar) canceled the Taga Kamba ritual because of the implementation of the PPKM (Restrictions on Community Activities) Level 4 program in Ende", said Ende District COVID-19 Handling Spokesperson, Aries Dewi Lestari in a statement received in Kupang, Antara, Thursday, August 12.

The traditional ritual of Taga Kamba is an event for slaughtering buffalo as a sign of the opening of the coordination meeting of the three elements of the stone stove, namely traditional leaders, government, and religious leaders as one unit in carrying out development in Ende Regency.

Dewi Lestari explained that the traditional ritual which is usually held before the Independence Day of the Republic of Indonesia on August 17 was canceled because Ende Regency had been assigned to undergo the PPKM Level 4 program for handling COVID-19.

"So this cancellation is not an insistence from any party, but when PPKM Level 4 is determined, arts and cultural activities cannot be carried out", she said.

Nevertheless, coordination meetings with the parties to jointly carry out efforts to deal with COVID-19 are still carried out by implementing strict health protocols.

She further explained that Ende Regency is one of 45 regencies throughout Indonesia that the central government has set to undergo the PPKM Level 4 program, starting August 9, 2021.

The criteria for determining PPKM Level 4, said Dewi Lestari, include a surge in COVID-19 cases and the number of examinations.

The number of COVID-19 checks in Ende, he said, was still very low because many tracking efforts could not be carried out due to refusal from the public for fear of being positive for COVID-19 and being taken to a centralized isolation area.

"Like the tracking activity that was carried out on August 9, we found 33 people from the number that should have been around 315 people", she said.

As for the determination of Ende Regency, the number of regions in NTT that implement PPKM Level 4 is four regions, namely with Kupang City, East Sumba Regency, and Sikka Regency.