"Today, 510 patients recovered from the coronavirus, yet there has been an increase in new patients by 502," Secretary of the Bangka Belitung COVID-19 Task Force Mikron Antariksa said in Pangkalpinang on Thursday.
Of the 510 recovered patients, 173 were from Pangkalpinang City, 76 from Bangka District, 22 from Central Bangka, 44 from West Bangka, 16 from South Bangka, 73 from Belitung, and 106 from East Belitung, he said.
Meanwhile, the 502 new patients comprise 84 from Pangkalpinang City, 92 from Bangka District, 91 from Central Bangka, 54 from West Bangka, 46 from South Bangka, 26 from East Belitung, and 109 from Belitung, he added.
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"Today, 25 COVID-19 patients died. This daily death rate is lower than the previous day which was recorded at 26," he revealed.
The regional government has imposed stricter tracing to suppress COVID-19 cases, he said. People caught not wearing a mask, gathering in a crowd, or violating health protocols will have to undergo an antigen swab test on the spot, he added.
"We, with the military and police force, will enforce stricter health protocols in public spaces, and violators will get sanctioned according to the regulation," he said.
He stressed that the easiest and simplest thing to be done to avoid COVID-19 is implementing the health protocols with the utmost discipline.
"This means our collective responsibility as a community, so the spread of COVID-19 in our beloved Bangka Belitung Province does not become massive," he added.
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Translator: Aprionis, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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