"In accordance with the directive of the president and the decision taken at the coordination meeting of the relevant ministers on March 23, 2021, at the Office of the Coordinating Human Development and Culture Ministry, as well as the results of consultations with the president, it has been determined that this year's homecoming will be purged," Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy stated at a ministerial-level meeting on the Eid Al-Fitr holidays monitored online here on Friday.
The decision applies from May 6 to May 17, 2021, for all people, including the state civil apparatus (ASN), army, police, private employees, and independent workers.
By doing away with these holidays, Effendy is upbeat about the national vaccination program running as expected.
The minister expounded that the decision was taken by taking into account the possible increase in the cases of infection and deaths of people and health workers due to COVID-19 that could occur due to the high mobility of the community during the holiday.
"Akin to Christmas and New Year, the BOR (bed occupancy rate) at hospitals is quite high, so several preventive measures are deemed necessary," he emphasized.
The decision also aligns with the government's policy to apply large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) and micro-scale restrictions on public activities (PPKM) in addition to bolstering health protocols and vaccination.
"There is still a day of joint leave for Eid al-Fitr, though there is no homecoming activity," Effendy noted.
Meanwhile, attendees at the ministerial-level coordinating meeting comprised several representatives from related ministries and agencies, including the Ministry of State Apparatus Empowerment and Bureaucratic Reform, Labor Ministry, Religion Ministry, Health Ministry, Social Affairs Ministry, Transportation Ministry, Army, Police, and National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB).
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Translator: Andi Firdaus, Katriana
Editor: Sri Haryati
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
