Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo has asked all regions in the province to stay alert for a resurgence of COVID-19 cases in year-end holiday homecoming.

“The Transportation Ministry predicts that there will be 4.8 million people entering Central Java for homecoming. For whatever scenario, I ask everyone to be alert,” Pranowo said at a coordination meeting for the year-end holidays here on Friday.

A common understanding from all elements is needed to handle a surge in people’s mobility during the Christmas and New Year holidays, he said.

Furthermore, the government must prevent people from homecoming by reminding them to reduce mobility and celebrate Christmas and New Year in their respective places, the governor said.

“The biggest number of homecomings are from Jakarta, West Java, and East Java. We will remind them to stay in their respective places, to reduce mobility,” he said.

Pranowo also asked for support from a number of agencies, including the Indonesian Military (TNI), National Police (Polri), the Ministry of Transportation, and others, and asked them to monitor the entry points to Central Java.

Access points to Central Java such as ports, airports, stations, and bus terminals must be strictly controlled, he added.

“Another thing that we must anticipate is people traveling by private jet. That is difficult to control. So, I ask airport officials to be strict and anyone who wants to enter Central Java using a private jet, I ask them to report first and be willing to get tested,” he emphasized.

Regarding blocking Central Java’s entry points, Pranowo said his administration has not planned to do that though monitoring and checkpoints had been prepared in a number of locations by coordinating with State-Owned Electricity Company (PLN), Pertamina, State Logistics Agency (Bulog), and other related agencies.

Source: Antara News