Gontor Students Are Prohibited From Riding Public Vehicles

Santri Gontor (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - All students at Pondok Pesantren Gontor are temporarily prohibited from using public transportation. This is to avoid the risk of transmitting COVID-19.

"Public transportation is not permitted," said KH Amal Fathullah Zarkasyi, the supervisor of the COVID-19 Task Force at the Gontor Islamic Boarding School, Fathullah Zarkasyi, in an online press conference quoted from Antara, Tuesday, July 21.

According to him, this policy was taken considering that a number of Gontor students had recently contracted COVID-19. So, with this policy it is hoped that the transmission of the virus will be stopped.

The solution, he said, is that the Islamic boarding school provides rental cars for students so that they do not use public transportation.

He said the alumni of the Gontor Islamic Boarding School in the regions formed a task force to regulate the departure of students back to the Islamic boarding school to minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission.

Amal also explained that the COVID-19 prevention protocol was implemented in the Pondok Pesantren Gontor environment to prevent the transmission of the corona virus. The boarding school manager prohibits visitors from entering the pesantren area.

In addition, the management of the Gontor Islamic Boarding School prohibits students from using shared eating utensils to prevent transmission of the corona virus.

"Masks must be owned, plates must be owned individually, prayers are spaced apart, the teaching staff wear masks," said Amal.

With regard to costs to anticipate the transmission of COVID-19 in the boarding school environment, Amal said, "We do not spend much, only a little, only hand washing facilities and so on," he said.