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ommunity health centers (Pus-kesmas) in Sleman regency will operate around the clock during the Idul Fitri exodus to provide health services to travelers.

“Paramedics, including doctors, nurses and pharmacists, are ready for 24-hour duty to provide maximum services to travelers,” Sleman Health Agency sanitary and disease handling subdivision head Cahya Purnama said.

He said that the services would primarily be focused on first aid.

The two-day Idul Fitri holiday, which marks the end of the fasting month, falls on Aug. 30 and 31, when many people will head to their hometowns to celebrate with relatives.

The exodus is expected to peak five days before Idul Fitri.

“Traffic accidents always increase. We hope the Puskesmas will come to the front to provide help,” Cahya said.

According to Cahya, other priority services include monitoring of infectious diseases. This is necessary, he said, because the annual exodus was a time during which millions of people were traveling at the same time and that there was always the possibility that people might transfer diseases.

“We call on the people to be cautious and careful,” he said.

Among other infectious diseases that people need to be cautious about, according to Cahya, include leptospirosis, indigestion diseases such as typhus and diarrhea, respiratory infections and food poisoning.

“We also have to be extremely cautious against possible cases of anthrax, especially because a number of regions in the country have declared an extraordinary situation [KLB] for this particular disease,” Cahya said.

In Bantul regency, Yogyakarta, the police deployed railway security teams earlier this week on all railway tracks in its jurisdiction to make sure that they are safe.

This is considered necessary to help minimize accidents during the annual exodus. “We assign special personnel to secure the railway tracks,” Bantul Police deputy chief Comr. Abdul Wahid said.

He added that the measure was done following numerous reports regarding missing nuts and bolts and even people sleeping at a number of sections of the railway.

“We have received 60 reports of such cases. Unless something is done about it, we are afraid it will pose danger to train passengers,” he said.

In Yogyakarta, the police have started deploying personnel to several locations, including tourist destinations.

“We have prepared personnel and placed them in strategic locations. They will be assigned there for at least 14 days — seven days before and after Idul Fitri,” City Police chief Sr. Comr. Mustaqim said Thursday.

Mustaqim said that among other strategic spots that would be given security priority include the Tugu train station, Giwangan bus station, the city’s main post office junction and the Tugu station junction.

“We will also provide priority to a number of posts in certain tourist destinations,” Mustaqim said.