Gov’t to Conduct Mask-Wearing Operation

The launch of the Simultaneous Distribution of Masks, a Campaign to Maintaining Distance and Avoiding Crowds in the context of Mask-Wearing Operation for a Safe, Peaceful and Healthy 2020 Regional Elections, at the Headquarters of the Greater Jakarta Metropolitan Region of the Indonesian National Police, Thursday (9/9).

In a bid to ensure public discipline in implementing the health protocols ahead of the 2020 simultaneous regional elections, the Government launched a mask-wearing operation. The operation began with the simultaneous distribution of 34,355,019 masks.

“This operation is a very important step in enforcing discipline on health protocols as it is one of the main keys to breaking the chain of the spread of COVID-19. The committee is working with the Indonesian National Defense Forces (TNI), the National Police (Polri), the General Elections Commission (KPU), the Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) and the regional governments to ensure that 83 thousand districts and villages throughout Indonesia will implement health protocols by using masks and maintaining their distance,” Head of the Committee for COVID-19 Handling and National Economic Recovery (KPCPEN) and SOEs Minister Erick Thohir said in his opening remarks on the Launch of the Simultaneous Distribution of Masks, a Campaign to Maintaining Distance and Avoiding Crowds in the context of a Mask-Wearing Operation for a Safe, Peaceful and Healthy 2020 Regional Elections, at the Headquarters of the Greater Jakarta Metropolitan Region of the Indonesian National Police, Thursday (9/9).

Deputy National Police Chief Comr. Gen. Gatot Eddy Pramono explained that through this operation, the police can take a strict approach against the public who are not wearing masks. “The police, TNI, the Public Order Agency (Satpol PP), prosecutors, and judges will work together to carry out operations in the morning, afternoon, and night as well as apply strict sanctions against people who are not discipline, but still in humanistic ways,” Gatot said.

As many as 5 million masks will be distributed by the Police, TNI, and the Jakarta provincial government Furthermore, the distribution of masks will be carried out in various provinces, such as West Java, Banten, Jakarta, Bali, Maluku, and Papua.

Gatot expressed hope that this operation can become a knot of synergy, a strong determination of togetherness and collaboration related to strong togetherness and collaboration components to echo community discipline in wearing masks, maintaining distance, and staying away from crowds. “Also as our spirit to create a new culture and lifestyle in this new normal era,” he added.

Regarding discipline, Chairman of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Said Aqil Sirad said that NU is ready to assist the Government to ensure the discipline of NU members in wearing masks and prevent activities that involve large crowds. “In fact, this has actually been done. We already have 222 thousand task force points, we have even distributed 19 containers of aid that were received by 60 million NU members,” he said.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the KPU Arief Budiman acknowledged that holding simultaneous regional elections while fighting the spread of the COVID-19 Virus is a big challenge. He expressed his appreciation to TNI and Polri on their campaign to discipline the public.

Erick also invited all parties starting from the KPU, Bawaslu, as well as prospective candidates of the elections to make COVID-19 control as a measure of success in holding the 2020 simultaneous regional elections. “Because it will be meaningless if the election is a success but the handling of COVID-19 is a failure,” Erick concluded. (Communication Team of the COVID-19 Task Force and PEN/EN)

Translated by: Fairuzzamani Inayatillah
Reviewed by: Mia M. Bonaedy