If I Were a President of Indonesia, This is What I Would Do

Government's Efforts

Covid-19 has affected a total of 203 countries. Each country has their own way of dealing with Covid-19. Japan does not apply lockdown but rather restricts the movement of its citizens. Just like Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong also only restricts the movement of citizens. These countries also conducted anyone who has done anything with those who tested positive for contracting COVID-19. Indonesia's government has also put efforts to limit the spread of Covid-19 in Indonesia. These efforts include rapid tests, social distancing, providing Avigan and Chloroquine, and large-scale social restriction. 

Increasing cases in Indonesia? 

Despite those efforts that Indonesia's government does, why do the covid-19 cases continue to increase? To answer that, we should check each effort that the government does and see which one is ineffective. First, we have rapid tests that started on 20 March 2020. The president seems more interested in imitating South Korea's way of handling COVID-19, which is doing a rapid test not lockdown. Rapid test is a method of rapid examination to see an infection in the body. There are various ways that rapid tests can be done. But in the case of COVID-19, Indonesia will use the IgG and IgM examination methods taken from blood samples. 

There is a positive note taken from this rapid test which is the test results will be found in less than two minutes, which means faster identification of the affected and faster response for further steps that the medical staff will do. There are still some critics from a number of people. First of all, this method is considered too late. 

The second critic is the accuracy of the rapid test that is questioned by the public. Then why does it work in South Korea? South Korea succeed in limiting the spread of the virus by several efforts and one of the prominent one is by doing rapid tests. The answer to that is simply because the government is too late to take this step. South Korea's government uses rapid tests before the cases reach the 31st case. Meanwhile, Indonesia's government used this method when the cases had reached hundreds. The effectiveness of this method will surely differ. 

The second method Indonesia's government does is by social distancing and large scale social restriction. There are some proposals to use the lockdown method or the territory quarantine, but those proposals are declined by the government. Actually the large scale social restriction could work if the citizens comply to the government's appeals. 

However, public participation-an important factor-has not been maximized. Several countries succeed in using large scale social restriction like South Korea because their public participation is really maximized. This should be something that citizens should understand and work together to limit the spread of the virus for a better cause. This method could be done, but the government needs to actively oversee the implementations. 

Third method would be providing Avigan and Chloroquine which is a good move by the government. Avigan and Chloroquine are proven to be able to cure covid-19 and it's great to know the government made the initiative to provide for this cure. If the government continues providing these cures, there are going to be better chances of those who are infected to heal. 

If I were president, what would I do? 

After reviewing each method that the government uses and see the pros and cons, this is what I'll do to fight covid-19. Prevention, effectiveness and timing would be my keywords for the methods that I'll use.

Prevention is a big factor in fighting this virus. Indonesia is infected later after several countries have been affected. This should have given me time to plan and enforce early prevention such as limiting the flight to and from an infected country especially to tourist spots and big cities like Bali, Jakarta, etc. Tighten guard in airports, border between countries(land boundaries), and port. Prohibition of cheap tickets especially cheap plane tickets to go abroad. I'll also start the cleanliness appeal that includes washing hands, and ethics while coughing. 

Preventions as such are done by the government before Indonesia was infected, but there are loopholes during the implementations that cause several tourists from infected countries to be able to enter Indonesia. While these preventions were implemented, I would plan for further actions that I will take if the virus has entered. 

Planning includes surveys of the readiness of the country(socially, economically, etc) to know which method that would be use and what response that will fit the citizen and limit the spreading. This planning will be really needed because each country has different citizens which leads to different tendencies, culture, activities and reaction. Government should know best how the public would react and do if a rule is implemented. This could be used to eliminate methods that could be of use or not. 

Early responses such as hospitals' readiness and method will be next. As said above, Indonesia's government used rapid tests too late which causes the effectiveness to decrease. This could have worked better if the timing is right. As soon as early cases are confirmed, rapid tests should be open to public. Another method would be tracking the covid-19 patient histories like places and people they met which leads to isolation to those poeple and disinfecting those places. 

Last method would be lockdown or regional quarantine. Regional Quarantine is a population restriction in an area including the entrance area and its contents that are suspected of being infected with a disease and / or contaminated in such a way as to prevent the possibility of spreading the disease or contamination. 

The quarantined area is quarantined and maintained continuously by the Health Quarantine Officer and the Republic of Indonesia National Police that are outside the quarantine area. To be highlighted is the word that it will be quarantined and maintained continuously by the Republic of Indonesia National Police. As written above, mind sets of the public is hard to change. Public participation would need the transparency of the government and public awareness. If public mind sets and awareness is not in line with public participation, police are needed to keep them in line for the better of the country by telling them to be in their house and avoid public places. 

Those are some actions that I would do if I were a president. 

Although there are some methods that are not maximized enough, the government has done the best that they could to limit the spread of the virus and we could hope that those efforts will be able to lead us to win against covid-19.