TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Govt issues joint-ministry policies to prevent post-holiday COVID-19 wave
The government will continue to strengthen anticipative policies to prevent a possible post-holiday COVID-19 wave at the end of this year.
Change Size
Extra cautious: Passengers wait to board an intercity train at Senen Station in Central Jakarta in 2020, as they head to their hometowns in the eastern part of Java for the New Year holiday. State-owned railway operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia requires passengers and staff to adhere to strict health protocols to curb COVID-19. (JP/Leo)
T
he government will continue to strengthen anticipative policies to prevent a possible post-holiday COVID-19 wave at the end of this year. The public is expected to actively participate and support the government’s efforts by following health protocols and getting vaccinated. Learning from the surge in COVID-19 cases after the Christmas and New Year’s holiday last year, this time, the government is going all out to prevent another increase.
The government has issued joint-ministry strategies to anticipate soaring cases ahead of the year-end holiday season. Regarding last year’s case increase, data from the national COVID-19 task force shows that on Dec. 1, 2020, Indonesia had 5,000 confirmed new cases. The number of cases then steeply increased to more than 14,500 confirmed cases on Jan. 30. The upcoming Christmas and New Year’s holiday season is expected to see an increase in people’s mobility, which would pose a great risk of COVID-19 transmissions if not accompanied by strict health protection measures.
“An increase in people’s mobility is likely to trigger new COVID-19 cases, just like what happened in 2020. We do not want to relive the experience,” Communications and Information Ministry Johnny G. Plate said on Wednesday.
“We have already witnessed a rise in cases in some regions. Even though they are still small in number, but we need to be on high alert to anticipate a possible third wave of infections.”
For that sole purpose, he went on, all related institutions and ministries have strengthened their coordination to face the year-end holiday season. The joint-ministry policies have been applied to control people’s mobility, shopping mall activities, tourist spots, transportation and other places that could potentially trigger increasing mobility and draw crowds.
To prevent a third COVID-19 wave, the government decided to cancel the additional leave day initially slated for Dec. 24 as mandated by the Joint Ministerial Decrees No. 712/2021, No. 1/2021 and No. 3/2021 on 2021 national holidays and collective leave.
Civil servants are also prohibited from using their paid leave rights on national holidays through the issuance of the Administrative and Bureaucratic Ministerial Circular No. 13/2021 on the out-of-region or paid leave travel limitation for civil servants during national holidays in 2021.
The government underlined that the implementation of policies and intervention steps must be accompanied by vaccination expansion and acceleration, strict health protocol implementation and strengthened tracing, tracking and treatment (3T) procedures.
“We expect the people will understand and adhere to the regulation, as they can help us prevent a possible third COVID-19 wave. This has been our collective responsibility. Besides, the best measures to prevent the third wave are still to apply strict health protocols and by getting vaccinated,” Johnny said.
