The strengthening strategy to control the spread of COVID-19 must be implemented properly through several important stepsSurabaya, E Java (ANTARA) - The Surabaya city government has formulated several strategies to strengthen control in preventing the spread of COVID-19 before, during, and after the 2022 Eid al-Fitr celebrations.
Surabaya Mayor Eri Cahyadi stated that the Surabaya government had eased several provisions for the public to celebrate Eid with their families. However, the easing must be accompanied with the implementation of strict health protocols to avoid an increase in COVID-19 cases.
"The strengthening strategy to control the spread of COVID-19 must be implemented properly through several important steps," Cahyadi noted on Saturday.
The important steps referred to supervising the community's discipline in implementing health protocols and encouraging managers in tourist attractions to install and use the PeduliLindungi application.
Unvaccinated visitors to tourist destinations will be directed to the nearest vaccination outlets. Likewise, visitors, with black status on their PeduliLindungi application, will be escorted to an isolation room before being offered further treatment.
Third, the Surabaya government will implement safeguard measures and ensure security for the implementation of Eid al-Fitr worship at mosques and in the field. Fourth, the regional government will fully supervise the requirements for homecoming on various modes of transportation to be protected from COVID-19 transmission.
Fifth, Cahyadi said his side will conduct testing, tracing, and treatment for confirmed cases of COVID-19 along with the COVID-19 Task Force, Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI), and Regional Government to conduct independent isolation, centralized isolation, or treatment at a referral hospital in accordance with the existing standards.
Sixth, the Surabaya government will conduct random checks through antigen swab tests on travellers and prepare vaccination services and temporary isolation at the integrated health service post (Posyandu).
The seventh strategy pertains to accelerating the vaccination program. The eighth approach is conducting traffic engineering management, starting from contraflow to opening and closing toll gates and in certain roads during the peak of the homecoming traffic while disseminating information on the policy through social media.
"If these steps can be taken properly, then the homecoming and return flows can run well and the spread of COVID-19 can be controlled. Hence, the synergy between stakeholders must be solid," Cahyadi remarked.
On the other hand, based on the vulnerability mapping, there are several forecasts of disturbances in the community that should be anticipated, including the threat of terrorism, thuggery, sweeping actions by mass organizations, price hikes and scarcity of basic commodities, queues and fuel shortages, and conventional crimes.
Moreover, community diseases, labor conflicts related to Eid allowance, illegal racing, drug abuse, fights between groups and between villages, acts of destroying public facilities, crowds of people that can be causal to COVID-19 transmission, as well as threats of natural disasters, such as floods and landslides, as the impact of the rainy season are predicted.
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Translator: Abdul Hakim, Resinta S
Editor: Sri Haryati
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