Swab samples have been taken from all crew members after two of their colleagues tested positive for COVID-19.Tanjungpinang, Riau Islands (ANTARA) - Twenty-seven crew members of the Sabuk Nusantara ship have been quarantined after two of their colleagues tested positive for the novel coronavirus disease.
The two crew members who tested positive for COVID-19, based on the results of a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, are being treated at the Raja Ahmad Thabib Hospital in Riau Islands Province, head of the Tanjungpinang Health Office, Rustam, said on Thursday.
"Swab samples have been taken from all crew members after two of their colleagues tested positive for COVID-19," he said.
The Sabuk Nusantara cluster has not been included in the COVID-19 data for Tanjungpinang because the crew members are not local residents, he said.
The crew members had earlier undergone rapid testing at the Sri Bintan Pura Port in Tanjungpinang.
"The ship had sailed around several islands in Riau Islands and Pontianak (West Kalimantan)," Rustam stated.
Spokesperson for Riau Islands’ Task Force for the Acceleration of COVID-19 Handling, Tjetjep Yudiana, said the two infected crew members belong to a special cluster because they are not registered in the city's COVID-19 data.
Similarly, 29 crew members of MV Kelud, who tested positive for COVID-19 and were treated at Galang Hospital in Batam, have not been registered in Batam's COVID-19 data because they are not local residents.
Rustam said his office will try to get the 27 crew members of Sabuk Nusantara quarantined at Galang Island. (INE)
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