Jakarta (ANTARA) - The government will tighten the monitoring and evaluation of health protocol compliance at the Papua National Sports Week (PON) XX, government spokesperson and expert team coordinator for COVID-19 handling, Wiku Adisasmito, has said.

In addition to this, all contingents have been requested to limit their activities outside the matches, he informed.

At a virtual press conference on 'Development of COVID-19 Handling in Indonesia' here on Thursday, Adisasmito highlighted that positive cases during Papua PON XX were immediately handled professionally by local health workers to prevent the spread of infection.

The other effort that the government conducted to control COVID-19 was designing a policy on health protocols, he said.

The policy concerns compliance with the health protocols even after going home and undergoing quarantine and testing to guarantee that entire contingents remain healthy before departing, while traveling, and after arriving home, he added.

Adisasmito lauded the Papua provincial government for holding the PON XX in a conducive manner amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Related news: Several challenges to applying health protocols at PON XX: expert

He also requested all parties, such as athletes, officials, and spectators, to uphold sportsmanship and to remain alert to the potential for COVID-19 infection by diligently implementing health protocols.

So far, 34 positive cases of COVID-19 have been recorded during the Papua PON XX, he noted. The patients have exhibited no symptoms and are expected to make a quick recovery, he said.

Data has shown that there are 58 isolation center facilities spread out across Papua, with bed occupancy rate of 11 percent and 2.027 beds remaining, as of October 5, 2021, he added.

"The local government will continue to monitor the coming and going of patients and will work hard so that every patient undergoing isolation can quickly recover," Adisasmito expounded.

In addition, the government will continue to conduct whole genome sequencing as part of a sustainable surveillance effort to monitor COVID-19 variants in Indonesia, he added
.Related news: Papua provincial government to review COVID-19 handling at Papua PON







Translator: Martha S, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Suharto
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