The COVID-19 Handling Task Force has asked people who want to join the Eid al-Fitr mudik (homecoming exodus) to get the booster vaccine as part of efforts to maintain public health and safety.

“Whoever who has not received the booster (dose), immediately get the booster. Whoever who has not completed (the primary) vaccination, immediately complete it to receive the booster,” spokesperson for the COVID-19 handling task force, Wiku Adisasmito, said during an FMB9 online discussion on worship and food preparation during Ramadan, which was accessed from here on Monday.

Adisasmito said that the government will not prohibit people from joining the 2022 Eid exodus, but they must get the booster shot first.

In addition, they must also make sure that the relatives whom they visit have completed primary vaccinations and have received a booster shot.

Upon completing primary and booster vaccinations, a person’s immunity would be stronger if infected with COVID-19 and the risk of experiencing symptoms or death would be lower, he noted.

Earlier, President Joko Widodo emphasized that people will be allowed to join the Eid al-Fitr exodus if they have completed the primary vaccination and received the booster dose against COVID-19.

The President also said that every exodus activity must be accompanied by the implementation of strict COVID-19 health protocols.

As part of efforts to boost community immunity against COVID-19, the Indonesian government rolled out a nationwide vaccination program targeting 208,265,720 citizens on January 13, 2021.

According to the task force data, as of March 28, 2022, nearly 195,992,326 Indonesians have received their first COVID-19 jab, 158,062,017 have been fully vaccinated, and 20,297,770 have received the booster shot.

Source: Antara News