Bogor Education Office Has Not Allowed Students To Take Off Masks At School

Illustration - The COVID-19 Task Force Team disseminates health protocols to students while conducting health care surveillance at MTS Al Ikhlas, Balongan, Indramayu, West Java, Wednesday (1/9/2021). BETWEEN PHOTOS/Dedhez Anggara./hp.

BOGOR - The Bogor City Education Office (Disdik), West Java still has not allowed students to take off masks in the school environment even though there has been an easing of the use of masks outdoors.

"Keep wearing masks. Following the policy issued by the government, masks are still worn in open spaces in crowded conditions," said Head of the Bogor City Education Office, Hanafi, quoted by Antara, Wednesday, May 18.

Hanafi conveyed that Disdik assessed that every school is a place that has closed spaces, namely classrooms and open spaces in the form of courtyards or fields, but accommodates hundreds of students every day so that it is always crowded in every corner.

Moreover, students from elementary school (SD), junior high school (SMP) to high school (SMA) are still at risk to be disciplined when to wear a mask or take off a mask in a crowd when gathering with friends.

In particular, said Hanafi, in the midst of the issue of acute hepatitis that attacks children 1-16 years old, it has begun to enter Indonesia, although so far it has not been found in the city of Bogor. In addition, the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic after Lebaran 2022 is still being monitored and the status of Bogor City is still PPKM level 2.

Although, President Jokowi has announced that the easing of removing masks only applies outdoors and not in closed rooms or mass transportation.

If people are doing outdoor activities or in open areas that are not crowded with people, they may not wear masks. For people who are categorized as vulnerable, elderly, or have comorbid diseases, President Jokowi still recommends wearing masks when doing activities.

On the other hand, the Bogor City Health Office (Dinkes) previously also explained that the transmission of acute hepatitis can be through the respiratory and digestive tracts.

Therefore, the public is invited to continue implementing health protocols, namely wearing masks and maintaining environmental health.

With an appeal for transmission from the gastrointestinal tract, the Bogor City Health Office recommends that people and children aged 1-16 years wash their hands regularly with soap, make sure the food is cooked and clean, do not share eating utensils with other people, avoid contact with sick people and maintain cleanliness of the house and environment.

To avoid transmission through the respiratory tract, reduce mobility, use a mask when traveling, keep a distance from other people and avoid crowds or crowds.

According to Hanafi, with this consideration, Disdik will still carry out health protocols using masks for students while at school and implementing face-to-face learning capacity of only 50 percent until before the new school year, although according to vaccination indicators and others it is 100 percent allowed.

"We are careful that the spread of COVID-19 is controlled and that other new diseases do not attack children at school," he said.