"As of 10:30 a.m. local time, 17 travelers were diagnosed with symptoms of COVID-19. They were then subject to swab tests and not permitted to continue their trips to Puncak," Head of Bogor District's Health Office Mike Kaltarina revealed.
Local health officials have provided one thousand rapid test kits today for massive testing of Puncak-bound domestic tourists and travelers coming from outside Bogor District, she remarked.
Conducted at the Gadog intersection in Megamendung Sub-district, the massive rapid testing will be continued until Sunday as part of the preventive measures to break the chain of potential spread of the COVID-19 outbreak during this long holiday season, she explained.
"We are optimistic that this massive rapid testing would enable us to detect the health condition of individuals traveling to our administrative areas. Ensure that this long holiday season does not trigger a new cluster of COVID-19 cases," she stated.
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The Indonesian government has declared October 28 and October 30 this year as collective leave days, while October 29, which marks Prophet Muhammad's birthday, is also a public holiday.
Speaking in connection with this long weekend, West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil appealed to city and district administrations across the province to step up mitigation efforts to contain the potential spread of COVID-19.
In a letter to city mayors and district heads in West Java, Kamil outlined six directives, including a request for people to stay vigilant by consistently applying preventive measures, as mandated by the government's health protocols.
"Governor Ridwan Kamil has also urged local residents to refrain from traveling outside West Java. Instead, they have been advised to stay with their families at home during the long weekend," Daud Achmad, head of the West Java COVID-19 Task Force, remarked on Wednesday.
The district heads and city mayors are also tasked with ensuring that all tourist sites, amusement centers, markets, food courts, train stations, bus terminals, and airports strictly enforce COVID-19-related health protocols, he remarked.
The national COVID-19 task force confirmed that as of October 26, 2020, the number of people recovering from COVID-19 in Indonesia had increased by 3,908, taking the total recovery tally to 317,672.
Meanwhile, Indonesia recorded 3,222 new COVID-19 cases, thereby bringing the total tally of infections to 392,934, the task force stated.
With 112 additional patients succumbing to the virus, the death toll has touched 13,411.
Among the 34 Indonesian provinces, Jakarta has reported the highest number of new recoveries at 1,162, with 905 people testing positive for COVID-19 and 13 individuals succumbing to the infection.
West Java has reported 442 new recoveries, 431 new cases, and 15 deaths.
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Translator: M.Fikri S, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Sri Haryati
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