Those who are detained are protesters avoiding the the humanitarian operation (COVID-19 rapid tests)Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Jakarta Police detained 455 followers of Rizieq Shihab for refusing COVID-19 rapid tests during the "1812" rally at the National Monument (Monas) area.
"The 455 people are in the entire jurisdiction of Polda Metro Jaya (Jakarta Police)," Senior Commissioner Yusri Yunus, spokesman of the Jakarta Police, said here on Saturday.
Yusri Yunus explained that the 455 people were arrested on Friday because they refused to follow the police's humanitarian operation policy that obliged the 1812 protesters to undergo COVID-19 rapid tests.
"Those who are detained are protesters avoiding the the humanitarian operation (COVID-19 rapid tests)," he added.
The police later carried out the rapid tests on the 455 detainees, and the results showed that 28 of them were declared reactive to COVID-19, Yunus said.
"There are 28 people who are reactive and we took them to Wisma Athlete (Emergency Hospital for COVID-19) for swab tests. We have put them there. We are waiting ( for the results) from Wisma Atlet, which is competent. What the results are, they the ones who know," Yusri Yunus said.
The Jakarta Police on Friday forcibly dispersed the "1812" rally participated in by members of several mass organizations, including the 212 Alumni Brotherhood (PA), FPI (Islam Defenders' Front), and the Ulama Fatwa Guard National Movement (GNPF), held at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta.
The police stated that they did not give permission to a rally of Rizieq Shihab's sympathizers expressing opinions in the public amid the pandemic.
Yusri Yunus said the Jakarta Police did not give permission for the rally demanding the release of Rizieq Shihab who is being jailed for violating the health protocols against COVID-19 pandemic when he organized a wedding of his daughter coinciding with the maulid (the commemoration of the birth of the Prophet Muhammad) last November.
"During the COVID-19 pandemic, the transmission in Jakarta is quite high. We hope they can understand that there must be no crowd activities," Yusri Yunus said.
The Jakarta Police in cooperation with the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the Jakarta Administration, have conducted the humanitarian operation to break the chain of COVID-19, Yunus remarked.
The National Police (Polri) and the TNI have also conducted 3T (testing, tracing and treatment) in regions during large-scale and preventive operations to prevent COVID-19 transmission, he added.
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Translator: Fianda SR, Fardah
Editor: Sri Haryati
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