The migrant workers arrived in Riau from the fourth week of March to April 1, 2020Pekanbaru, Riau (ANTARA) - Riau Province, Sumatra Island, received 4,444 Indonesian migrant workers, who returned from Malaysia amid ongoing public concerns over the spread of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19), a local government official stated on Thursday.
"The migrant workers arrived in Riau from the fourth week of March to April 1, 2020," Head of Riau Provincial Administration's Communication, Information, and Statistics Office Chairul Riski informed ANTARA in Pekanbaru, the capital of Riau.
The migrant workers, who returned after the Malaysian government imposed a lockdown to halt the spread of coronavirus in the country, arrived through three seaports in Riau, he noted.
The seaports are Tanjung Harapan in Selatpanjang, Meranti Islands District; Bandar Sri Junjungan in Dumai City; and Bandar Sri Laksamana in Bengkalis District, Riski remarked.
Riau Governor Syamsuar has appealed to the provincial government's health workers to prioritize the administration of rapid test kits on Indonesian migrant workers returning from Malaysia.
Governor Syamsuar urged his people to understand the rationale behind giving priority to returning migrant workers since their numbers had tended to increase by the day. Those returning from Malaysia are categorized as people under surveillance.
In addition, several residents of Riau Province returned home from various cities in Java Island, including Jakarta, Bandung, and Yogyakarta, which had confirmed COVID-19 cases. They were also to be placed under surveillance, he pointed out.
The Riau Health Office's data, as of Wednesday morning, indicated 16,694 people under surveillance and 115 patients under surveillance, he stated, adding that the results of the rapid tests were expected to be known soon.
Those diagnosed with symptoms of COVID-19 would immediately be quarantined or hospitalized, Riau Governor Syamsuar remarked.
On Tuesday, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) cautioned that several countries that were able to flatten the curve of their confirmed COVID-19 cases were currently challenged by imported cases, with overseas travel records.
China, South Korea, and Singapore are among the countries currently facing, what he terms as a novel wave of the new coronavirus disease-related threats.
To tackle this problem, the government had reiterated the significance of handling the mobility of Indonesians and foreigners arriving in the country, he noted.
"Our priority is, now, not just handling the mobility of our people in Indonesia but also tackling the COVID-19 risks posed by those arriving from overseas trips," he noted, adding that COVID-19 cases were found in 202 countries and territories.
Related news: Village chiefs urged to ready quarantine centers against COVID-19
Related news: Govt readies scenarios to prevent public from embarking on "mudik"
EDITED BY INE
Translator: FB Anggoro, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2020
