We have filed an application, and now, we are awaiting a decision from him.
Surabaya (ANTARA) - East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa has made a request to Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto on implementing large-scale social restrictions in Greater Surabaya to restrict the transmission of coronavirus in the province.

"We have filed an application, and now, we are awaiting a decision from him," she stated at the Grahadi State Building in Surabaya on Monday night.

Greater Surabaya covers Surabaya City, Sidoarjo District, and Gresik District.

Parawansa noted that Surabaya was the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in East Java, while Sidoarjo and Gresik were the buffer zones for the provincial capital. In actuality, the two districts have borne witness to an upward trend in coronavirus cases owing to their close regional interaction pattern.

The proposal for enactment of large-scale social restrictions in Greater Surabaya is in accordance with an agreement reached at a coordination meeting between provincial and district/municipal leadership communication forums on Sunday (April 19).

The coordination meeting also discussed logistics supplies, health facilities, and social security, including the social safety net, such as social assistance that should be taken into account while implementing large-scale social restrictions.

The governor claimed to having coordinated with Chief of the Central Task Force for the Acceleration of COVID-19 Handling Doni Monardo and confirmed having received the green light from him to approve the proposal.

"If the implementation of large scale social restrictions in East Java runs well, we will be able to handle the COVID-19 pandemic in a more integrated manner, and the government will find it easy to control it," she pointed out.

In the meantime, Surabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharini has forecast that most asymptomatic patients (OTGs) in the East Java provincial capital will potentially test positive for COVID-19.

"In comparison with the ODPs (people under surveillance) and PDPs (patients under surveillance), the number of OTGs is far higher since the ODPs and PDPs have been under surveillance and treatment," the mayor stated at the public kitchen of the Surabaya City Hall on Thursday (April 16).

Citing data from the Surabaya city administration, Rismaharini pointed to a spike in the number of OTGs in the city testing positive for COVID-19.

The OTGs appeared healthy and were not symptomatic with COVID-19. However, it is these people who can, in fact, transmit the virus to others they come in close contact, she cautioned.
Related news: 1,000 COVID-19 affected families in Ambon receive aid

Related news: Referral hospitals prioritized for patients with severe COVID-19

EDITED BY INE


Translator: Fiqih Arfani/Suharto
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2020