News
about Covid-19 still echoes everywhere. The news about new records in
daily cases becomes more common, hospitals are starting to run out of
rooms, to the sound of ambulances that we heard more frequentin our
daily lives. As of June 29, 2021, positive cases in Jakarta increased by
8,348 cases in a day. The positive case curve is increasing. Our
struggle is getting harder.
Source: Web corona.jakarta.go.id
From
the graph above, we can see that in the last few days of June 2021, the
number of cases increased far beyond the usual daily positive cases so
far in Jakarta. On 27 June 2021, daily positive cases in Jakarta even
reached 9,394 cases. A very worrying number. So, how do we get through
this?
Smartcitizen,
if there are no strict preventive measures, it is not impossible that
the positive case curve will continue to rise and existing health
facilities will no longer be able to accommodate Covid-19 positive
patients. To prevent an increase in the positive case curve, we can
learn from one year of experience during this pandemic on how to flatten
the curve.
Learning from the 2020 Pandemic
In
2020, we have succeeded in preventing the upward curve with PSBB
(Large-Scale Social Restrictions), which forced us to do more activities
at home and closed various crowded places in Jakarta. Then, when we
loosened up the PSBB to a Transitional PSBB where several public places
can be opened with limited capacity, and long holidays that increased
mobility, the number of confirmed cases began to climb again. At that
time, the number of Covid-19 infections in Jakarta increased sharply.
Several times, the number of new Covid-19 cases in Jakarta reached more
than a thousand people per day. On September 3, 2020, for example, daily
positive cases of Covid-19 reached 1,406 cases. On September 14, 2020,
the PSBB was reimposed. Governor Anies Baswedan finally pulled the
‘emergency brake’ to return to the stricter PSBB.
When
the PSBB emergency brake was pulled and the community returned to being
more disciplined in enforcing health protocols and restricting
movement, positive cases slowly began to fall, so the Transitional PSBB
was reinstated. If we look at the positive case graph above, in October
and November 2020, the curve began to decline.
[The Curve: What is It and Why Do We Need to Flatten It?]
Micro PPKM to Lower the Curve of Covid-19 Cases
In
early 2021, the PSBB which is under the authority of the regional
government waschanged to PPKM (Enforcement of Restrictions on Community
Activities), with almost the same regulations as the Transitional PSBB.
Then, when positive cases began to creep up in mid-June 2021, tightening
was carried out again in the form of Micro PPKM.
You
may ask, why is there a need for a stricter version of the Micro PPKM
as a tightening measure when cases go uphill? Because, in the latest
revision of Micro PPKM, there are changes to impose stricter regulations
such as: :
-
Offices
should implement 75% WFH (Work From Home) with with strict health
protocols and no mobilization is allowed to other areas;
-
Teaching and learning activities remain 100% online;
-
The restaurant is opened with a maximum capacity of 25% and dine-in operating until maximum of 8 PM;
-
The shopping center opens with a maximum capacity of 25% and closes at 8 PM with stricter health protocols;
-
Houses of worship are closed and it is recommended to worship at home;
-
HBKB (Car Free Day) is abolished;
-
Activities in public areas are not permitted;
-
Arts, social, cultural activities, meetings, seminars, and others are prohibited;
-
Public transportation, mass transportation and private vehicles, may operate with a maximum of 50% capacity.
There
is one thing that is clearly seen as the goal of the Micro PPKM rules,
which is physical distancing. Physical distancing is the key to lowering
the positive case curve. With regulations that make residents stay at
home, not visit public areas, and limit mobility, the risk of Covid-19
transmission will decrease. This is because close physical contact
rarely happens when the restriction is on place. Of course, there are
still some of us who have to work in essential sectors and leave the
house for important reasons. That is why, it is also necessary for us to
keep our distance and wear masks while outside the house. In fact,
double masks are now recommended for use, with the first layer using a
medical mask and the second layer using a cloth mask.
Smartcitizen,
if we comply with the Micro PPKM regulations, then we have helped to
reduce the positive cases that have been increasing lately. The low
transmission of the Covid-19 virus will also allow our health facilities
to survive and health workers not to be overwhelmed in the midst of a
pandemic. However, if we do not comply, the cases may increase,
increasing the chances of the people closest to us to be exposed to
Covid-19.
We
have gone through strict PSBB regulations before and it has succeeded
in reducing positive cases of Covid-19. Our mobility during the PSBB and
the Transitional PSBB was also low, so there is a precedent for us to
go through all of this until the curve goes down.
[Comparing Level of Community Movements during a Pandemic]
Let's do what we can to end the pandemic
Smartcitizen,
in the midst of the surge in Covid-19 cases, various efforts continue
to be made, one of which is the Covid-19 vaccination. With the Covid-19
vaccination, the chance that someone will be infected is lower, and even
if infected, the risk of severe illness will be avoided. To reduce the
positive case curve to a minimum and end the pandemic, we must do what
we can by participating the Covid-19 vaccination, continue to strictly
implement health protocols, and also help the DKI Jakarta Provincial
Government to disperse crowds by reporting PPKM violations through JAKI app. Let's protect each other and continue to fight to end the pandemic!