In addition to bolstering testing, tracing, and treatment, the local residents must continue to follow the 5M health protocols, Prabowo noted in a press statement received by ANTARA in Jakarta on Monday.
The 5M health protocols encompass "wearing face masks", "washing hands", "maintaining physical distancing measure", "avoiding crowds", and "reducing mobility".
Accompanied by Indonesian Military Commander Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto and National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Head Ganip Warsito, Prabowo paid a visit to Kudus over the weekend, as the district had recorded a major increase in new COVID-19 cases.
The local residents that were traced should stay at home and conduct self-isolation until their swab test results are issued, according to Prabowo.
Those required to self-isolate will be monitored by military and police officers, tasked with ensuring optimal enforcement of micro-scale public activity restrictions (PPKM-Mikro) to stem COVID-19 transmission, he affirmed.
If the residents' swab test results confirmed that they suffer from COVID-19 symptoms, they would be moved from their home to the Donoyudan Boyolali Haj Dormitory.
Equipped with 800 beds and a sufficient number of doctors and health workers, the haj dormitory is safeguarded by military and police officers, he stated.
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 declared the nation’s first confirmed cases on March 2, 2020.
The central and regional governments have thereafter striven incessantly to flatten the coronavirus disease curve by applying healthcare protocols and social restrictions.
To break the chain of spread 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.
Vice Health Minister Dante Saksono Harbuwono noted that 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: Central Java is red zone-free during 39th week of pandemic
Related news: President visits Central Java to inspect COVID-19 Command Post
EDITED BY INE
Translator: Laily R, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
