Veruswati, M., Alnur, RD., and Asyary, A. 2020. Journal of Ultimate Public Health.

2020; 4(1); 283-290

https://doi.org/10.22236/jump-health.v4i1.p283-290

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Covid-19 Incidence Rates Decreased in Ramadhan Season during

Applied Large-Scale Social Distancing in Jakarta, Indonesia

Meita Veruswati*1,2, Rony Darmawansyah Alnur1, Al Asyary2,3

1. Study Program of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Muhammadiyah Prof. Dr. HAMKA, Jakarta, Indonesia
2. Center of Educational and Community Services (P3M), Universitas Indonesia, Depok, Indonesia
3. Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Indonesia, Depok, Indonesia
*Correspondence to Meita Veruswati (meitaveruswati@uhamka.ac.id)
(Submitted: 01 August 2020 – Revised version received: 13 August 2020 – Accepted: 31 August 2020)

Abstract

Background: At the same time of Covid-19’s transmission peak, Indonesia, as the biggest Moslem population in
the world, is facing the holy month of the Ramadhan that contained more praying and religious traditional habits
in mass gathering setting. As of social distancing was implementing, this study aims to present the difference
between before and during Ramadhan with Covid-19 incidence rates while the implementation of large-sale social
distancing (LSSD) was applied. Method: This study was using the dataset which was obtained from Covid-19
reports from the authorities, comprising of the local government of Jakarta and the Indonesian Ministry of Health.
The Covid-19 cases were studied in this research: incidence and suspect which were showed in daily rates with
before and during Ramadhan while LSSD was applied in Jakarta, Indonesia. Results: There is a difference that
happens significantly with the rate of positive confirmed patients before and during Ramadhan while LSSD (p-
value = 0.049; mean difference = 33.310). Conclusion: This research presented that the rate of Covid-19 cases
decreased during Ramadhan season as social distancing effective to control potential religious and tradition mass
gathering in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Keywords: coronavirus, Ramadhan, mass gathering, social distancing

Introduction human distancing, made the virus that

carriers by droplet can be possibly hindered
Covid-19 is well-known as infectious
as the physical distancing which is largely
disease that has become the fastest
known as social distancing [3,4].
spreading on this 20th century [1]. Mass
gathering is one the condition where Social distancing was held by several
COVID-19 feasible to spread with faster as countries to control the Covid-19 pandemic
pandemic disease that is transmitted by air [5,6]. This measure established effectively
borne [2]. Doing restriction on human to in decreasing the spread rates of the
Copyright: © 2020 Meita Veruswati et al. Journal of Ultimate Public Health (JUMP Health) – UHAMKA Press. This is an open access article
distributed under the terms of the creative commons attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in
any medium, provided the original author and source ere credited
 Jump. Health, 4(1): 283-290, 2020
infectious disease even it applied as the
low-cost approach with effective measure
policy that would well-fit applied in
developing country [7].
At that time Covid-19 cases were firstly
multiple reported; China celebrated the
Chinese New Year that indicates this event
potentially driven the disease around the
world [8]. With most of them celebrate with
each big family, this enables mass gathering
which became spreading the virus one to
another person around them [9,10]. It is the
same thing that potentially happened in
celebrating the holy month of Moslem that
namely Ramadhan. Beside it lasted for a
month which has more length of time rather
than Chinese New Year, its awareness
increased since each of Moslem society
have their tradition in celebrate it beside for
prays, including for Moslem in Jakarta of
Indonesia.
In Indonesia include Jakarta, the Ramadhan
is the most welcoming month in Islamic
terms [11]. At least, there are three identic
prays besides other that most likely to do by
each of Moslem. These are namely fasting,
tarawih praying, and fitrah giving [12].
Each of these prays are potentially
associated with mass gathering [13]. At the
moment of fasting break, most Indonesian
Moslem hang out together with friend and
family whether in restaurant, café, or
respective home [14]. Meanwhile, tarawih
284
praying are mostly done by massively
(jamaah) in mosque. Conversely, fitrah
giving is done only once by each of Moslem
at the end of Ramadhan month that mostly
gathered the poor in receiving the giving by
the fitrah giving committee.
Since this Indonesian religious custom that
potentially made mass gathering in risking
the spreading of the COVID-19, Indonesia
government has banned all Ramadhan
celebration activities for both praying and
tradition that involve mass gathering in this
year using the LSSD measures in this
region. Therefore, information for the
effectiveness of LSSD measure’s approach
on Covid-19 incidence rate is necessary as
its effect between before and during
Ramadhan is still not assessed yet.
Methods
Study area
Jakarta plays important role as the capital
city as well as business center of Indonesia.
This region faces Ramadhan season, has
started to apply the LSSD on April 10,
2020. This policy defined as massive
restriction in response to the Covid-19
pandemic that was followed by public
places closure, public transportation
restriction, and travel ban that leaving for
and coming to this region. These are also
applied with disallowance of online-
 Jump. Health, 4(1): 283-290, 2020
ordered motorcycle taxis (ojek) from
carrying passenger (only allowed food and
goods carrying), restricted dine in at food
cafes/restaurants (only allowed takeaways),
and closure of all shops and workplaces that
only those supplying basic needs were
allowed. Shutdown places were also
including schools, worship places such as
mosques, and entertainment sites. LSSD
measures consisted of public transportation
was operating at fifty percent capacity [15].
Data collection
The dataset, starting from March 2, to May
2, 2020, was derived from the national
authorities’ government. In this study,
Ramadhan month based on Islamic
calendar, that ranging from April 24, to
May 2, 2020. Before that, which was started
from March 2, to April 23, 2020, it was set
as before Ramadhan. Both incidence and
suspect of Covid-19 cases, which
confirmed daily, were obtained from the
Jakarta province’s government. This data is
freely accessible form the Indonesian
Ministry of Health including the Covid-19
National Task Force Team databases.
Accordingly, LSSD started on April 10,
285
2020 which means that before LSSD
implementation was ranging from March 2,
to April 9, 2020, while on-going LSSD was
implemented from April 10, 2020 of Covid-
19 cases dataset.
Data analysis
We employed the two mean difference
examination by the independent sample t-
test to perform and determine the presence
of the significancy. This standard statistics
analysis is usually to present difference
between two groups’ mean, in this case, the
Covid-19 incidences and suspects between
before and during Ramadhan season while
LSSD was applied.
Results
According to Figure 1, both incidence and
suspect of Covid-19 had been decreasing
before and during Ramadhan while applied
LSSD in Jakarta. This shows that both
incidence and suspect of Covid-19
dropped-down daily since LSSD was firstly
implemented on 10th April 2020 after
Ramadhan season in Jakarta.
 Jump. Health, 4(1): 283-290, 2020

Fig. 1 The incidence and suspect of Covid-19 on before and during Ramadhan while the
LSSD was implemented

Table 1. Independent-t-test’s on before and during Ramadhan while LSSD was implemented

Covid-19 status Mean difference

Incidence 33.310 a *

Suspect 86.611
a
Equal variance assumed
*Difference is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed)

In Table 1, there is no significantly Discussion

difference before and during Ramadhan In this study, we found that the Ramadhan
while applied LSSD with suspect cases of during applied LSSD was confirmed to low
Covid-19. Conversely, before and during
numbers of Covid-19 among this
Ramadhan related significantly with population (positive value of mean
numbers of incidence from Covid-19 when difference). This result is in line with prior
LSDD was applied. literature that social distancing, at this term
is regarding by LSSD, does limit the
transmission of Covid-19 so it can control

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 Jump. Health, 4(1): 283-290, 2020
the Covid-19 incidence rates [5]. At the
same way, social distancing in occasionally
can surge the transmission of Covid-19
incidence so it gives chance to mitigate the
pandemic [3,6].
Keeping save distance breaks the physical
contact, that benefits to stop
transmission chain of Covid-19 in a
community [16]. At the same point, LSSD
was done by the authority with limiting the
mass gathering that may be potentially
transmitting the pandemic when Ramadhan
prays was held. The National Team Task
Force for Covid-19 Mitigation
represented the government ensured
mosque closure in preventing tarawih
praying held by jamaah [17]. At the same
time, break fasting that was usually done by
jamaah and mass gathered in certain places
including mosque and restaurant or café are
temporary banned in Covid-19 pandemic
[18].
As it sits as the capital country of biggest
Moslem in the world, Ramadhan in Jakarta,
comprised more tradition in welcoming this
holy month rather than another region
beside its identical prays [13]. At least in
Betawi people, as the endemic tribes of
Jakarta, has “nyorog” tradition
experiencing Ramadhan. It is gathering
family and neighbors by delivering the
traditional food whether in break fasting or
for meal at the dawn as preparing fasting
(sahur) [19]. However, this unique tradition
has stopped since LSSD was officially
applied. LSSD banned any kind of
celebration party including in this religious
traditional setting.
Being in a region with a biggest Moslem in
the the world, the pandemic of Covid-19 in
Jakarta of Indonesia has never been in
proper time to spread massively. However,
LSSD implementation proved as the one
potentially that can decrease the number of
Covid-19 incidence due to Ramadhan
season. It is not only the authorities that
that ensured the sustainable living during the
pandemic but also the community that is
aware with this policy [20,21]. Since LSSD
was implemented, several measures of
LSSD had been taken appropriately [22].
This kind of policy measure of social
distancing was having support by
community elements particularly the
national Moslem authority’s organization
such as Ministry of Religious Affairs and
Indonesian Committee of Ulamas (MUI)
[23]. Besides that, LSSD has also supported
by the two biggest non-governmental
Moslem that are namely Nahdlatul Ulama
and Muhammadiyah [18,24].
in Even though this research’s significant
finding about the effectiveness of LSSD
during the Ramadhan in limiting the Covid-
19 incidence rates, it has limitations. The
decrease of Covid-19 incidence in this
287
 Jump. Health, 4(1): 283-290, 2020

study may be affected by Moslem

homecoming (mudik) that leaving Jakarta to
each of their hometowns in welcoming Eid-
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