To Prevent A Surge In COVID-19 Cases On Christmas and Newy Year's Eve, The Government Tightens Health Protocols

Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin (Photo: covid19.go.id)

JAKARTA - Minister of Health (Menkes) Budi Gunadi Sadikin said the government would tighten the implementation of health protocols (prokes) to prevent a spike in COVID-19 cases ahead of Christmas and New Year's Day (Nataru) in December.

This tightening is carried out from now on because the number of virus transmission in the community is decreasing.

"While Indonesia is currently declining (the number of positive cases, ed), we want to ensure the best possible implementation of health protocols so that there is no further spike, especially against Nataru," said Budi in a Community Activity Restrictions (PPKM) press conference broadcast on the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube, Monday, November 1.

He emphasized that the government will fight desperately so that the transmission of COVID-19 in the community continues to slow down because of the many international agendas that will be held next year, including the implementation of the G20 in Bali.

In fact, to make this activity a success, the Ministry of Health will carry out a pilot project in the form of an international meeting this year to evaluate the organization of similar events during the pandemic.

"The plan is that we will conduct a pilot project for international meetings this year. First, there will be an international health meeting, then there will be an international badminton event, and there will be a G20 meeting that will start," said Budi.

"We will see what is good, what needs to be improved. So that when the international meeting takes place next year, we will be better prepared, the health protocols will be much more tested," added the former Deputy Minister of SOEs.

On that occasion, Budi also said that the health protocols in schools that were already running face-to-face learning would also be tightened. Not only that, surveillance activities to prevent the spread of COVID-19 continue to be carried out where from the existing results there are only a few schools whose students have been confirmed positive.

"The data shows that there are several schools that have been affected. This means that there are confirmed cases (positive, ed) but the numbers are relatively small," he said.

This surveillance is carried out by taking samples from a number of students in schools who are conducting face-to-face learning and the results will be sent to the Ministry of Education, Research and Technology (Kemendikbudristek).

"Later on, we will make it so that every school task force can see in detail which students are tested for antigen, positive PCR. We will give access to this same report later on to districts/cities. So Head of the Department of Transportation (Kadisbud), Head of Health Department (Kadinkes), Regents, Mayors can see what the whole daily school is like," he explained.

"Thus we will be able to control this pandemic but continue to carry out normal activities because face-to-face education is very important," he concluded.