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Health top priority
When high-ranking officials, who enjoy privileges and better facilities than ordinary citizens, cannot protect themselves from the ruthless virus, we can imagine the susceptibility of people who have to frequent places where physical distancing is difficult enforce.
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nother Cabinet minister has tested positive for COVID-19. More regions have joined the list of red-zones signifying a high risk of COVID-19 transmission. The number of daily new infections reached a record of 8,369 on Thursday. Bad news is by no means good news this time around as Indonesia is perhaps entering the most critical time ever since the first case was announced more than nine months ago.
Manpower Minister Ida Fauziyah announced Thursday that she had contracted the disease, making her the fourth minister to test positive after Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi, then-fisheries minister Edhy Prabowo and Religious Affairs Minister Fachrul Razi.
Over the past week, COVID-19 has also infected other government officials, including Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan and his deputy, Ahmad Riza Patria.
When high-ranking officials, who enjoy privileges and better facilities than ordinary citizens, cannot protect themselves from the ruthless virus, we can imagine the susceptibility of people who have to frequent places where physical distancing is difficult enforce, such as markets.
Budi, Edhy and Fachrul have recovered and resumed their activities. We wish Ida, and more than 500,000 other Indonesian citizens who are in medical treatment for COVID-19, a speedy recovery, too.
As SARS-Cov-2, the virus causing COVID-19, infects people indiscriminately, the best tactic to fight the disease is building our own defense by complying with health protocols and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, even when an effective vaccine is available.
The campaign to raise public awareness about COVID-19 is already running at a maximum. Both the government and other stakeholders have repeatedly called on the public to follow the health protocols through all media. Punitive measures have been arranged to deter people from breaching the prevention measures.
The COVID-19 task force’s announcement of the new record of positive cases on Thursday is, therefore, saddening, given the sacrifice and dedication of frontline medical workers. The spokesman for the task force, Wiku Adisasmito, said the steep increase in the single-day infection rate from previously 6,000 or lower was partly attributed to the absence of real-time data collection at the regional level. The latest data from provinces like Papua, for example, was actually an accumulation of cases since Nov. 19.
But, as Wiku himself admitted, the significant rise was beyond tolerance. There is a semblance of public ignorance of the health protocols in particular during long weekend holidays.
Weak enforcement of the protocols has exacerbated the problem. After law enforcers failed to act against large-scale gatherings that marked the return of firebrand cleric Rizieq Shihab from Nov. 10 to 14, the authorities also could do nothing when thousands gathered at the Al-Istiqlaliyah Islamic boarding school in Tangerang, west of Jakarta, on Nov. 29 to commemorate the anniversary of respected ulema Tuan Syekh Abdul Qodir Al Jailani’s death.
Not only does the government need to change the game to flatten the curve of COVID-19 transmission. The public has to understand that participation in the fight against COVID-19 matters. With medical treatment for each patient costing the state an average Rp 184 million, at least Rp 102.67 trillion (US$7.3 billion) has been spent to save those infected.
Money for health rings true, so does health for money.
