IKAPPI Laments Policy of Vaccination Card Requirement in Jakarta Markets

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Traditional Market Traders Association (IKAPPI) lamented the decision of the Jakarta government that hastily required Covid-19 vaccination cards in traditional markets.

“This is excessive. Judging from the fact in the field, Jakarta has not done several things,” said the association’s spokesman, Muhammad Ainun Najib, to Tempo on Tuesday, August 10.

According to Ainun, the city administration has not yet optimized in disseminating and educating market traders about the importance of herd immunity. The vaccination access was also deemed limited and unequal in traditional markets.

“Jakarta has 154 traditional markets under the monitoring of [regional-owned market operator] PD Pasar Jaya. According to our records, only a few markets have received vaccines,” he added.

IKAPPI recommended the city administration carry out vaccination directly in the market given that traders had difficulty leaving their goods to visit vaccination centers, which are quite far from markets.

“It’s hard for traders to survive, let alone pay for transportation to the vaccination center and leave their goods,” he said.

Additionally, the city administration did not provide an alternative to the vaccine card, for example, for Covid-19 survivors. The alternative, Ainun opined, is necessary for residents with certain diseases that bar them from getting vaccinated.

“We can imagine [the situation] that if traders, who are Covid-19 survivors, must stop selling for three months because they don't have a vaccination card,” Ainun concluded.

Read: TNI and Transport Ministry Conduct Mass Vaccinations in Bogor

M YUSUF MANURUNG