Jayapura (ANTARA) - National Sports Committee of Indonesia (KONI) Chairman Marciano Norman urged each province's regional KONI to coordinate with the COVID-19 Task Force over the return of athletes that participated in the XX Papua National Games (PON).

"For the contingent, the provincial KONI is coordinating with the COVID-19 Task Force," Lieutenant General (Ret.) Norman remarked on Wednesday.

Norman lauded the steps taken by the Jakarta provincial government to prepare the Grand Cempaka Hotel as an integrated isolation location for Jakarta's athletes that had returned after competing in the Papua PON.

The athletes will undergo a five-day isolation at the Grand Cempaka Hotel in Central Jakarta as a precautionary measure against the spread of the virus.

However, for the provincial government that does not provide such facilities, Norman expects every PON participant, be it athletes, officials, or journalists, to harbor greater awareness and care for themselves.

Related news: Jakarta's athletes returning from PON isolated at Grand Cempaka Hotel

"This is because each region has different ways of supporting contingents. For contingents with no isolation service, I request you to remain self-disciplined. Ensure that you are in the best condition before returning home," Norman stated.

He also emphasized that PON participants returning to their respective regions were necessitated to undergo a PCR test and test negative in order to head back home.

Head of Health Handling of the COVID-19 Handling Task Force Alexander Ginting emphasized that centralized isolation was deemed necessary in order to stop the virus spread.

According to Ginting, being in isolation or quarantine was a responsibility toward supporting public health and not something that was done in vain.

Data from the Papua Province COVID-19 Task Force indicated that the number of COVID-19 cases in the areas serving as PON venues on October 12 comprised 87 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 23 cases in Jayapura City, 16 cases in Mimika District, 27 cases in Merauke District, and 21 cases in Jayapura District.

Related news: Infected PON participants will return home only after recovery: govt

Translator: Arindra Meodia, Resinta S
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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