Follow Health Protocols or Clean the River, Residents of Indonesian City of Solo Told

SOLO, KOMPAS.com – The city administration of Solo, Central Java Province, Indonesia will impose sanctions against violators of the Covid-19 health protocols next week.

A draft of a mayoral regulation — which stipulates the sanctions in the form of cleaning a river — will be completed this week.

“The sanction [cleaning the river] will become effective next week,” said Solo Mayor FX Hadi Rudyatmo on Wednesday, September 9.

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The new sanctions in President Joko Widodo’s hometown aim to discipline the Solo residents as many have failed to wear masks and maintain physical distancing during outdoor activities amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Mayor, who is popularly known as Rudy, said that although the regulation will only go into effect next week, city residents have started to become aware of the sanctions on cleaning the river.

“People are starting to realize that the sanctions will be imposed. Now many residents are seen wearing masks in public.” 

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He said one of the reasons for implementing such regulation was because of its benefits for the city. Cleaning the river, he said, will not only reduce flood risk but also reduce odors caused by pollution.

The Covid-19 joint task force will impose sanctions on residents who flout the health protocols, including not wearing masks in public.

“Residents who do not wear masks during the operations conducted by the personnel of military, police, and public order agency must clean the river as it is more beneficial for the city,” he said.

(Writer: Labib Zamani | Editor: Dony Aprian)

Source: https://regional.kompas.com/read/2020/09/09/20124341/sanksi-bersihkan-sungai-untuk-pelanggar-protokol-covid-19-di-solo-berlaku.