House Joins Experts To Lobby COVID-19 – National

Calls are growing for President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to take extreme measures to stop the spread of the new coronavirus, including setting up a localized quarantine or partial locking, despite concerns regarding the execution of such a measure.

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Puan Maharani, as well as government and opposition legislators, demanded that the Jokowi administration apply more stringent measures by implementing localized quarantine, as stipulated the 2018 quarantine health law, claiming that many ignored the president's call to socialize. distancing.

"The House of Representatives supports (takes) the measure aimed at mitigating (the spread) of the COVID-19 pandemic by implementing localized social distancing and quarantine policies, as stipulated in the 2018 law on sanitary quarantine "Puan said in a statement on Monday.

"The Chamber calls on the government and the people to be disciplined in the practice of social distancing," she added.

The central government has sent mixed messages regarding its COVID-19 prevention and control measures, with the president appearing to be engaged in political politics with regional governments on the best way to limit the spread of the SARS-CoV virus. -2 and COVID-19, the disease it causes.

Some regional governments, including Jakarta, have called for a policy that looks like a lockdown, but the president said regions have no jurisdiction to issue such a measure. Meanwhile, the central government is undecided as to whether it would resort to imposing a foreclosure.

Scientists in the country have also suggested locking in areas considered "hot spots" to contain the spread of the virus before the fasting month of Ramadan in April and the Islamic holiday of Idul Fitri in May.

Indonesia has reported 227 confirmed cases of COVID-19 to date.

Public health specialist Nurul Nadia Luntungan from the Center for Indonesia's Strategic Development Initiatives (CISDI) called on the government to "be assertive" by enforcing its policy of social distancing, rather than to make a simple call like he did. She stressed that strict social distancing was necessary to minimize death and added that people with moderate to severe symptoms of the disease could be treated in hospitals.

Nurul also noted that Indonesia's poor approach to COVID-19 testing raised the possibility that cases go undetected, particularly asymptomatic cases which could then transmit the virus to others unknowingly without strict protocol to restrict interaction with the public. This could overwhelm health facilities across the country, which were unprepared to manage the epidemic.

Epidemiologist and biostatistician Pandu Riono of the University of Indonesia agreed, saying that aggressive social distancing measures should be implemented to slow the spread of COVID-19 and minimize transmission possible for high-risk populations. Slowing the infection rate, or "flattening the curve", would in turn prevent overloading health facilities and limited workers in the country.

However, the government must first establish inter-institutional coordination and secure the supply and distribution of commodities before imposing such measures to guarantee their effectiveness, he said.

"The government lacks command. They are confused (…) despite the existence of guidelines they can follow and lessons from other countries," said Pandu. The Jakarta Post Tuesday.

Pandu also believed that community transmission had occurred in Indonesia since January and that cases remained largely undetected due to the lack of testing.

House Commission Vice President Mulfachri Harahap III, who oversees legal affairs, suggested that the government is seriously considering imposing a foreclosure, highlighting China's success in subduing the local epidemic after having imposed a nationwide lockdown.

"I appreciate the efforts of the government's rapid reaction team to contain the virus, but I also await the politicians," said the National Mandate Party (PAN) politician.

Former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono also called on the Jokowi administration to take a more serious approach to the coronavirus by adjusting existing policies, noting that the government appeared to have underestimated the virus.

The boss of the Democratic Party said he was concerned that Indonesia would see an explosion in the number of cases when other countries noted a decline in infection and that the late response from the government could make Indonesia "the new epicenter" of the pandemic.

With the number of new cases in China falling daily to almost zero in recent weeks, the epicenter of the pandemic has now moved to Europe.

Yudhoyono also noted that several countries and cities had imposed closures to save lives and that in these areas people were not allowed to leave their homes and places that could accommodate large crowds, such as restaurants and malls, had been closed.

"Some people may be uncomfortable about this policy, which also carries risks, including economic loss, but such policies and actions (are necessary). Public health and safety must be a priority first, "he said.

Fadholi, a lawmaker from the ruling coalition NasDem party who is also a member of the House’s public health committee, also called on the government to impose a lockdown.

"Some countries are responding quickly to the pandemic by imposing a lockdown. The government should study (how to implement the policy) from this point on," he insisted.