Preventing A Spike In COVID-19 After The Eid Holiday, PKB Legislators Propose The Obligation Of Booster Vaccines In Tourist Places

ILLUSTRATION/Carita Beach Banten/DOK ANTARA

JAKARTA - Member of Commission IX of the DPR from the PKB faction, Luqman Hakim, assesses that the government is very mature in preparing plans and facilitating the community in celebrating Eid al-Fitr in 2022, which is preceded by the homecoming movement and will end with a post-Eid backflow.

The government's readiness can be seen from the decision to take holidays and leave together with Eid which the total time is up to 10 days. With a long enough time, according to Luqman, the flow of going back and forth involving tens of millions of people can be avoided from congestion and traffic stagnation.

"Secondly, the government's readiness can be seen from the release of negative results of antigen and PCR tests as a condition for traveling back and forth for people who have received the third dose of vaccine (booster). It has been proven that it triggers people's desire to get booster vaccines," Luqman told reporters, Friday, April 22.

This, he continued, would have an impact on the strengthening of the community's communal immunity from the COVID-19 attack. In this context, said Luqman, the government shows serious protection of the people's right to life.

The Central Java electoral district legislator said the government also provided free homecoming facilities, the implementation of which was regulated on certain dates. So that it can reduce the accumulation of homecomers in the days leading up to Eid.

In order to complete the homecoming arrangements that have been set by the government, the Secretary of the Social Movement and Disaster Management of the PKB DPP also suggested that strict regulations be applied to tourist attractions during the Eid holidays.

"My suggestion is concrete, the government needs to make rules that oblige tourist attractions during the Eid holidays to only accept visits from people who have had a complete vaccine (two doses) or a third vaccine (booster)," Luqman explained.

If the second or third vaccine has not been vaccinated, he said, visitors are required to show a negative antigen test result. According to Luqman, the arrangement of tourist attractions is very important.

"Do not let after the Eid holiday, COVID-19 cases rise high due to tourist attractions being left free without regulations," he stressed.

According to the chairman of GP Ansor, the government should learn from the experience of last year's Eid holiday. At that time, the government was not strict enough to regulate restrictions on tourist attractions. As a result, there has been a spike in COVID-19 cases after Eid 2021.

"If there is a spike in COVID-19, the government will blame the homecoming tradition and Eid al-Fitr halal-bihalal gatherings, even though the trigger is the accumulation of visitors to tourist attractions," said Luqman.

"If tourist attractions are left free without regulations during the Eid holiday, they will have great potential to become centers of COVID-19 transmission. We all hope that this does not happen," he said.