After the author’s wife and children were sure they were able to control their thoughts and physiology, the author told the other families, both those in Wonogiri and those in West Sumatra.
Previously, as Deputy Chair of the Indonesian Central Information Commission (KI Pusat), the author had reported to the Chairman of the Central KI, Mr. Gede Narayana, about the author’s condition and informed him that the author had asked the Head of the General Section of the Central KI Secretariat, Mrs. Nunik to doing PCR swab to all elements of leadership, staff, and employees in the Central KI environment.
The author emphasizes to Mrs. Nunik that positive COVID-19 author information is notified to all elements of the leadership, staff, and employees of the Central KI as Information and Merta, information that is immediately known must also be conveyed.
The authors emphasize that since then all elements of leadership, staff, and employees can immediately implement health protocols as people who have direct contact with positive COVID-19 patients. So that all of them can implement strict health protocols and maintain a distance from anyone, especially family members of the same household, until their PCR swap results come out.
The writer considers this very important to minimize and control the spread of the COVID-19 virus which starts from the author’s body.
Alhamdulillah, some friends at KI Centre have told the author, since then they have been very strict in implementing health protocols, especially at home. Do not gather with wife’s children (husband) while waiting for the PCR swab schedule and the results. Some even decided not to return home until it became clear that the results of the PCR swab concerned.
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The next thing that comes to the author’s mind is whether or not to tell the public about the condition of the author who was confirmed positive for COVID-19.
This is the topic of discussion of the writer and his wife in the post-child and family video call being told. However, the author wants the decision to close or disclose this information is a joint decision between the author and his wife and the first child who has started to grow up.
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Humanitarian Considerations
Since the COVID-19 virus entered the author’s body, entered the incubation period, until the results of the author’s PCR swab were obtained, which confirmed that the author was positive for COVID-19, I don’t know how many people had contact and interacted with the author.
It is possible that some of them have been infected by the author but do not show symptoms so they still have normal intact with anyone, both in the work environment and in their family. Even though the COVID-19 virus has begun to develop in his body and may even have entered the stage of being infectious too. And so on.
That’s in terms of transmission. What about the probability of recovery for those who may have been infected by the writer? What are the chances of a cure if the author is open or closed about the author’s information being confirmed positive for COVID-19?
Some of the author’s best friends who were long before the positive author of COVID-19 had shared that the chances of a positive patient recovering from COVID-19 were closely related to the speed of handling time since first exposure.
The sooner it is handled, the greater the chance of recovery because the COVID-19 virus has not reproduced with a very large number of damaging internal organs, especially the lungs. It does not require large amounts of antobodies and very specific drug treatments, and also does not require medical equipment treatments (such as ventilation) to heal.
One of the writer’s best friends once said that when someone is attacked by the COVID-19 virus, we are chasing time with very high intensity because the patient may be negative after treatment but internal organs, such as the lungs, have already been damaged, much or little damage.
So that if someone who is exposed to the COVID-19 virus can be immediately identified and handled, the impact on internal organs will be very, very controllable. That is the importance of speed of information and care for someone who is confirmed positive for COVID-19.
The considerations of transmission control and control of the impact on the organs of people who may be infected by the author are the writers’ humanitarian considerations and the wife agrees to open or close the information of the positive writer CKVID-19, in addition to the consideration of the potential for the author, wife, and children to be bullied and stigmatized, of course. .
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Oath Responsibilities
The author has given an interpretation of the relationship between the Oath of Office paid by the state and the public official’s obligation to disclose information if the official is confirmed positive for COVID-19.
Of course the writer does not have any pretensions that the writer’s interpretation is the only interpretation of truth. And of course also does not bind anyone to carry out the writer’s interpretation.
However, this interpretation has serious implications for the author. The author is of the view that when someone gives an interpretation of something, that interpretation automatically becomes the law for the person concerned as long as the person concerned has not revised the interpretation.
Someone cannot interpret a legal norm like this and that and make an assessment of the behavior of others based on this interpretation and require other people to apply their interpretation when a legal event is experienced by another person, but when the same legal event happens to him, the person concerned does not arbitrarily apply these interpretations for various reasons. That is one test of integrity in the author’s opinion.
As an example. There is a legal norm that states “willing to work full time.” So there can be various interpretations of this norm.
There are those who interpret full-time work as only being allowed to do work related to that position within 24 (twenty four) hours a day, 7 (seven) days a week throughout the term of office. Even just planting bananas in the garden itself is not allowed because there is the potential for these bananas to make money.
There are also those who interpret that they do not have a permanent job other than their job in their position during working days and hours. You could be a guest lecturer at college on Saturdays for example.
However, there are also those who interpret full-time work as being required to work throughout the term of office, not to resign until the term of office is over, not to participate in selection for other positions until the term of office that is currently being held is over.
The author is of the view that any interpretation is fine, but it cannot bind others. Unless an official institution interprets it, then it is binding for anyone.
However, for those who provide interpretations, the interpretation automatically becomes the law for themselves and they are bound scientifically and ethically with these interpretations. Violating these interpretations in real legal events is a violation of ethics and integrity.
Back to the Oath of Position. Regarding the Oath of Office and COVID-19, the writer has an interpretation that a person who takes the oath of office and because of the Oath of Position he gets a salary and fasilities from the state, automatically the person concerned has committed himself to protect the Indonesian people both in general and specifically in accordance with his main duties and the function.
The author is of the opinion, if there is something that endangers society, the danger comes from a state official who has taken the Oath of Office, then the official is obliged to do everything he can to protect citizens from the potential dangers that come from him.
Continuing this view, the state official who has taken the Oath of Position is obliged to announce to the public if he is confirmed positive for COVID-19 because there is a danger that threatens the public whose threat comes from the body of the official, namely the COVID-19 virus.
Publicly announcing this means that the official has tried to protect other citizens of the country from the potential to experience a more severe medical emergency if indeed the citizen has been infected by the official.
Publicly announcing this means that the official has tried to protect other citizens from potentially contracting COVID-19 because all people who have had direct contact with the official can immediately take the necessary steps to stop the potential spread, such as by not gathering as normal with his family.
Well, once again, of course the author’s interpretation above is not absolute and is not binding for others, but for the author it is of course binding.
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The two main considerations above led the author and his wife to contact some of the Editor-in-Chief’s friends to tell them that the author had just been confirmed positive for COVID-19 based on the PCR swab the day before.
The author allows it to be widely published through the mass media he leads with the hope that people who have interacted with the author at least the last 14 (fourteen) days and hope that they will immediately implement strict health protocols as people who have had close contact with patients positive for COVID-19.
The author also delivers this information through personal and WahatsApp (WA) groups and the author’s social media.
The hope, of course, is that the spread of COVID-19, which started from the author, can be controlled and for those infected by the author, medical action can be taken immediately so that the probability of recovery is relatively high and potential damage to vital organs can anticipated.
Allahumma aamiin
(Hendra J Kede Deputy Chairman of the Indonesian Central Information Commission)
