The COVID-19 Handling Task Force called for the activation of (COVID-19) command posts in villages. That is why micro-level public activity restrictions (PPKM) continue to be implemented
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Head of Behavior Change at the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, Sonny Harry B. Harmadi had urged COVID-19 command posts across all villages to be immediately activated in a bid to thwart Omicron transmission.

"The COVID-19 Handling Task Force called for the activation of (COVID-19) command posts in villages. That is why micro-level public activity restrictions (PPKM) continue to be implemented," Harmadi stated during an online event accessed here on Saturday.

He deemed the step as crucial to be taken as a precautionary measure against the local transmission caused by the Omicron variant of COVID-19, which is more transmissible as compared to the earlier variants.


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According to Harmadi, the swift transmission raises its likelihood of occurring in densely populated areas and regions where it is not easy to maintain distance between individuals, such as in the Krukut and Kebon Jeruk areas in West Jakarta.

Harmadi opined that the presence of those command posts would help the community in villages to implement regional quarantine on a smaller scale when COVID-19 cases are detected in the area.


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"When a case is found, we will not need to (implement) quarantine on a large scale; instead, we can implement regional quarantine on a smaller scale or commonly known as micro lockdown," he stressed.

Hence, he emphasized that every command post in villages should be activated to support the implementation of micro PPKM in the surrounding area during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Indonesia in March 2020. According to data provided by the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, as of January 29, 2022, at least 4,330,763 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the country, while 4,133,923 people have recovered and 144,285 people have succumbed to the virus.
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Translator: Hreeloita Dharma, Raka Adji
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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