TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - An epidemiologist Tri Yunis Miko Wahyono argued that the enforcement of the odd-even traffic policy as a part of the emergency brake amid the COVID-19 pandemic was inappropriate.

According to him, who is also the Head of Epidemiology Department of the Health Faculty at the University of Indonesia (UI), the policy would not stop the people’s movement so long they still undergo daily activities, such as going to the office.

“That’s not the right decision,” said Tri on Tuesday, August 4. “Enforcing the emergency brake should mean that people’s work is stopped or the people capacity is reduced.”

Such a traffic policy, he added, could only drop the number of cars passing the city’s streets. This would even increase the potential risk of virus transmission in public transportation. Tri presumed that people would switch to mass transport.

“That poses a danger,” he remarked.

As reported earlier, Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan decided to implement the odd-even policy starting August 4, 2020, in line with the extension of phase 1 of the transitional PSBB or large-scale social restriction.

The Jakarta Transportation Agency Head Syafrin Liputo said the traffic policy was re-enforced as the COVID-19 emergency brake in an effort to suppress virus transmission.

Read: Jakarta Transport Agency: Odd-Even Policy Reduces Pollution

LANI DIANA WIJAYA