The beds are provided to patients with mild symptoms or those, who are asymptomatic and have to necessarily conduct self-isolation as part of the provincial administration's COVID-19 mitigation efforts, Riau Governor Syamsuar remarked.
Governor Syamsuar paid a visit to the haj dormitory on Sunday to ensure that preparations at the self-isolation facilities were complete.
Conversing with journalists on the sidelines of his visit, the governor noted that doctors and paramedics were kept on standby for those sent for treatment at the haj dormitory.
The COVID-19 outbreak initially hit the Chinese city of Wuhan in 2019 and thereafter spread to various parts of the world, including countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Indonesian government announced the country's first confirmed cases on March 2, 2020.
Since then, the central and regional governments have made persistent efforts to flatten the coronavirus curve by enforcing healthcare protocols and social restrictions.
To break the chain of transmission of COVID-19, which had dampened the purchasing power of scores of families in Indonesia, the government also banned homebound travel, or "mudik," ahead of this year's Eid al-Fitr holiday season akin to last year.
According to Vice Health Minister Dante Saksono Harbuwono, the number of COVID-19 cases in Indonesia in the wake of the Eid al-Fitr festivity would peak in mid-June of 2021.
In halting new transmission clusters, the government is planning to extend the quarantine period for travelers arriving from abroad, especially from countries hit by the COVID-19 crisis, to 14 days, from the previous five days.
Currently, Indonesia's total count of COVID-19 cases had surpassed 1.8 million amid the government's stern endeavors to win the battle against COVID-19 that has acutely impacted its economy and public health.
As part of its efforts to win the fight, the Indonesian government has begun a nationwide vaccination program to contain infections since January 13, 2021.
The Indonesian Health Ministry had pegged the vaccination of some 181.5 million people under the national program to take about 15 months. Related news: 58 percent of Riau's 62 COVID-19 infected health workers recover
Related news: Two-year-old tests positive for COVID-19 in Riau
EDITED BY INE
Translator: Frislidia, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
