"These detainees of the National Police's Criminal Investigation Directorate have all been discharged from the Said Soekanto Police Hospital," Witarto was quoted by ANTARA as saying in Jakarta on Saturday.
The detainees, including Hidayat and popular Muslim preacher Sugi Nur Rahardja, alias Gus Nur, had undergone intensive treatment at the hospital since November 15, 2020, after complaining of COVID-19 symptoms, such as coughing, nausea, and dizziness.
Witarto steered clear of divulging further details as to when Hidayat, Gus Nur, and five other detainees would be discharged from hospital to be then sent back to the Salemba Penitentiary in Jakarta.
However, he confirmed that the last detainee was discharged on Thursday, November 26, 2020.
Police spokesperson Brig. Gen. Awi Setiyono had earlier stated that Hidayat, Gus Nur, and several other detainees were among the 170 people placed under detention by the National Police's Criminal Investigation Directorate that had recently taken swab tests.
In the mass tests, 47 prisoners had tested positive for COVID-19, he remarked.
Seven of the 47 detainees were admitted to the police hospital in Kramat Jati, East Jakarta, on Sunday after complaining of cough, dizziness, and nausea, while 40 others were diagnosed as asymptomatic.
They had been isolated in separate prison cells to keep them away from healthy inmates, Setiyono stated, adding that the authorities are also providing vitamins and supplements to boost the prisoners' immunity.
The authorities also conducted contact tracing to ascertain whether the detainees got infected before or after being sent to the Salemba Penitentiary. Currently, a spacious prison cell is shared by five detainees, Setiyono remarked.
COVID-19 initially struck the Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of 2019 and then spread across the globe, including to countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Indonesian government made an official announcement on the country's first confirmed cases on March 2 this year.
The Indonesian government has consistently expressed confidence in the potential of COVID-19 vaccines to help it win the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic that has posed a grave threat to public health and the economy.
Related news: Lawmaker sees KAMI activist arrests as test for Democracy
Over the past few months, the government has left no stone unturned to secure potential COVID-19 vaccines for Indonesians through bilateral and multilateral cooperation.
The government is also supporting research efforts towards developing the country's own COVID-19 vaccine, Merah Putih (Red and White), named after the colors of the national flag.
Moreover, Indonesia is cooperating with China and the United Kingdom for the procurement and supply of COVID-19 vaccine candidates.
An Indonesian delegation secured access to Chinese COVID-19 vaccines during a meeting with representatives from Cansino, G42, Sinopharm, and Sinovac in China on October 10 this year.
Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, has stated that the government will likely commence the first phase of COVID-19 immunization in the third week of December 2020.
Related news: Jumhur Hidayat, six other detainees test positive for COVID-19
Related news: PAN deplores Polri's treatment meted out to KAMI activists
EDITED BY INE
Translator: Anita PD, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2020
