Jokowi: Thank God, Homecoming Is Safe Without Fatal Events And Additional COVID-19 Cases

President Joko Widodo while chairing a limited meeting evaluating the 2022 Eid homecoming at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, Tuesday (24/5/2022) (ANTARA/Muchlis Jr - Press Bureau of the Presidential Secretariat)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) appreciates all parties related to the implementation of this year's Eid homecoming which has been running in an orderly manner.

Moreover, the activity to welcome Eid Al-Fitr 1443 Hijriah was running safely and without the addition of massive COVID-19 cases.

This was conveyed by Jokowi while chairing a limited meeting with a number of ministers regarding the evaluation of the 2022 Eid homecoming, today, Tuesday, May 24 at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta.

"Alhamdulillah, yesterday's homecoming was safe and healthy, without any fatal events and no significant additional COVID-19 cases," Jokowi said as quoted from an official statement from the Press, Media and Information Bureau of the Presidential Secretariat.

In addition, Jokowi also revealed that the majority of people are satisfied with the implementation of this year's Eid homecoming. This statement is based on the results of a survey conducted by the Indonesian Survey Institute.

Jokowi also detailed that the number of public passengers on D-7 and D+7 Lebaran 2022 decreased compared to 2019 because travelers prefer to use private vehicles.

Meanwhile, the incidence of accidents during the 2022 Lebaran homecoming also decreased by 45 percent compared to 2019, from 3,199 cases to 1,763 cases.

Even so, President Jokowi emphasized a number of things that his staff must pay attention to so that the next homecoming event can run better. One of them, he asked his staff to continue to improve policies related to Lebaran homecoming, including traffic engineering management.

"We will continue to improve, we will perfect the management of traffic engineering, starting from odd-even management, one way, contraflow on toll roads and non-toll roads so that there is no accumulation of vehicles and also the availability of representative and sufficient rest areas," he said.

In addition, Jokowi asked his staff to increase the capacity to accommodate vehicles to the ferry port, increase the number of ferry boats and expand the crowded docks. The goal, so that the accumulation of vehicles does not occur.

Meanwhile, regarding the non-toll road on the south coast route (pansela), Jokowi views this route as a good alternative for travelers. So, he asked that supporting facilities and infrastructure on this route must be properly prepared so that it can be used for the upcoming Lebaran homecoming.

"Let's try to look at this again in more detail regarding facilities and infrastructure, gas stations, lighting, rest areas, I think it should be prepared for next year's homecoming. I think this is a good alternative," said the President.

Not only on the Pansela route, Jokowi also asked for improvements to facilities and supporting infrastructure at airports, terminals, ports and stations. In addition, the addition of the capacity of train transportation when going home and the maximum implementation of free homecoming are also things that the President emphasized in this evaluation.

"I think if we do this, (homecoming, red) next year we will be even better," he concluded.