The Tradition of Mass Homecoming in Indonesia during the COVID-19 Outbreak

¹ Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Diponegoro, Central Java, Indonesia
² Department of Health Policy and Administration, Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Diponegoro, Central Java, Indonesia

^* Corresponding author: budiyonofkm@lecturer.undip.ac.id

Abstract

One of the traditions in Indonesia during Eid al-Fitr is traveling back to their hometown despite the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. This study aimed to analyze the mass homecoming activities and their potential impact on the transmission and spread of COVID-19. Secondary data were mainly obtained from the Central Java Provincial Health Service and the Transportation Service. This study was quantitative research with a time series design. It only addressed the COVID-19 cases and the travelers entered Central Java Province. Data were analyzed using chi-square. The research results showed that mass homecoming was an extreme trend during the outbreak even though the government launched a prohibition order. Homecoming was indicated resulting in a low risk of transmitting COVID-19. There was a difference in people who used combined transportations before and after the appeal of homecoming restriction. The percentage of COVID-19 cases attributed to the homecoming activities was 0.008%. The number of patients under surveillance attributed to homecoming activities was higher by 0.039%. Therefore, the government needs to continue monitoring and implementing strategies to anticipate bigger risks of homecoming during the COVID-19 period.