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Danger at home: Families urged to avoid gatherings as new clusters emerge
Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Minister Bintang Puspayoga has urged families to avoid hosting or attending family gatherings.
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Newlyweds greet their guests as they hold a drive-through wedding ceremony in Bekasi, West Java, on Aug. 8. The government has urged families in Indonesia to avoid large gatherings after new clusters of COVID-19 infection emerged in families. (Antara/Fakhri Hermansyah)
“We highly recommend that all families in Indonesia refrain from taking part in large family gatherings amid the pandemic,” Bintang said as quoted by kompas.com on Thursday.
Bintang suggested that families instead interact with each other online.
She said she had been summoned by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo following the emergence of COVID-19 infection clusters in families.
Jokowi ordered her to continue proclaiming the importance of upholding health protocol in public, especially within extended families.
Read also: Jakarta to crack down on wedding receptions as new transmission clusters emerge
“Our campaign includes promoting the importance of wearing masks, washing hands and maintaining physical distance. This needs to be [communicated on a massive scale] with the help of those who focus on women’s issues and Family Welfare Movement (PKK) members,” Bintang said.
She advised people to wear masks inside their homes, especially if some family members are particularly vulnerable.
“Women as the household managers should always remind their family members to wear masks at all times, even inside the house,” she said.
Previously, the COVID-19 task force in Depok, West Java, revealed that the region had seen new family clusters that had been caused by residents working outside of Depok and bringing the virus home.
An official of the Jakarta Tourism and Creative Economy Agency said the agency would disperse public wedding receptions held in the capital city amid the large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) policy. (dpk)
