The responsibility to regulate full-capacity school reopening activities would be handed over to regional authoritiesBandung, West Java (ANTARA) - West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil has allowed district heads and mayors in the province to enforce regulations on full-capacity offline face-to-face school activities by adjusting with the on-ground situations in their regions.
"The responsibility to regulate full-capacity school reopening activities would be handed over to regional authorities. The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us that we cannot enforce a single regulation for all regions, as the pandemic situation in each region differs," Kamil stated here on Tuesday.
Despite handing over the responsibility to regional authorities, the governor reminded district heads and mayors to coordinate with the provincial government regarding their decision.
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"District heads and mayors must consult with the provincial government regarding their decision because we need to synchronize the regulation," the governor noted.
The COVID-19 pandemic situation in districts and cities must be taken into account before deciding to reopen schools with full capacity, especially as not all regions in West Java recorded a decline in the number of COVID-19 positive cases, he affirmed.
Regions with zero COVID-19 positive cases can promptly reopen their schools, Kamil remarked while informing that schools in urban regions are inclined to be more prepared to reopen their schools.
"Based on data of the COVID-19 cases, most schools that can start offline learning activities are located in urban regions, though we will be strict in allowing the reopening of schools," he remarked.
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Meanwhile, official of the Bandung City Education Office Bambang Arianto confirmed that the reopening of schools at full capacity in Bandung would proceed at the latest from Monday (Jan 10, 2022).
"We are ready to reopen schools at full capacity in line with the current regulation. Schools are actually allowed to reopen with 100-percent capacity, as level 2 of the activities restriction enforcement (PPKM) was applied in Bandung recently," Arianto pointed out.
On the contrary, Cirebon City regional secretary Agus Mulyadi noted that schools in Cirebon will not reopen at full capacity until the city authority obtained the new regulation on offline school activities from the central government.
Currently, offline school activities will be held at 50-percent capacity, and the regional authority will consult with relevant stakeholders before reopening the school, he noted.
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Translator: Ajat Sudrajat, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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