TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Covid-19 mitigation task force asked the public, particularly those who have come into close contact with someone who has the virus, to not fret or deceive contact tracing officers.

“Do not lie by claiming to have never been in the same home [with Covid-19 patient], while in fact, living in the same home,” said the task force expert team member, Dewi Nur Aisyah, in a press conference in Jakarta BNPB Office on Wednesday, September 30, 2020.

Dewi reminded all that contact tracing is vital to break the chain of coronavirus transmission. Being honest could help medical workers to understand the real conditions in the field. So the information can reveal the possibility of others getting infected with the virus.

The task force spokesperson, Wiku Adisasmito, previously said that contact tracers often faced a stigma circulating among the public.

“The biggest constraint during the contact tracing is public resistance. There is still a stigma that people with Covid-19 must be avoided,” he said in a virtual press conference via the Presidential Secretariat’s Youtube channel on Tuesday, September 29.

Due to the stigma, Wiku went on, people preferred to lie which of course could endanger others because people who are potentially at risk could not be revealed. Thus, the virus could further infect more and more people.

Read: Indonesia Develops Health Passport to Boost Contact Tracing

DEWI NURITA