We do not need to panic and there is no need to worry.Jakarta (ANTARA) - The national COVID-19 Handling Task Force has boosted the capacity of self-isolation sites to anticipate a rise in the number of travelers arriving from abroad ahead of the Christmas and New Year holidays.
"In addition, the quarantine period in Indonesia has been extended from seven days to ten days," head of the task force, Lieutenant General Suharyanto, said at a virtual press conference here on Thursday.
He predicted that the number of travelers will increase in the next few days.
Therefore, the task force has prepared the COVID-19 Emergency Hospital at Jakarta Athlete’s Village, he said. Tower 7 of the complex will be specifically used to quarantine Indonesian Migrant Workers (PMI), he informed.
In addition, the Nagrak Cilincing Flats, North Jakarta, will serve as an alternative self-isolation facility, he said.
"The places can accommodate more than four thousand people. Thus, neither place will be too crowded with people,” the task force head added.
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He urged people to conduct isolation according to procedures and not leave the facility before the quarantine period ends. People must comply with the health protocols so that there are no more imported COVID-19 cases, he added.
The government has found one confirmed Omicron case in Indonesia, he noted.
A janitor at the Jakarta Athlete’s Village COVID-19 Emergency Hospital was reported positive for the Omicron variant of COVID-19 following a genome sequencing test, he said.
In addition, the Health Ministry also detected five suspected Omicron patients—two Indonesians and three Chinese citizens, he noted.
Currently, the Indonesians -- who have just returned from the United States and the United Kingdom -- are self-isolating at Jakarta Athlete’s Village, he said.
Meanwhile, the Chinese citizens who came to Manado city, North Sulawesi province, are being quarantined in an isolation facility in the city, he added.
"We do not need to panic and there is no need to worry. However, the public is urged to be disciplined in conducting health protocols, especially regarding multiple health screenings for international travelers," Suharyanto emphasized.
According to the task force’s circulars (numbers 25 and 26 of 2021), international travelers from South Africa, Botswana, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Eswatini, Lesotho, and Hong Kong are required to undergo a 14-day quarantine, he said.
Meanwhile, travelers coming from other countries have to undergo ten-day isolation, he informed.
"They are also required to show PCR swab results taken within 72 hours before departure," he added.
Upon arriving in Indonesia, travelers will be subjected to another COVID-19 test, he said.
They will have to take one more COVID-19 test one day before leaving the quarantine facility, which would be the 13th day for people quarantining for 14 days and the 9th day for those quarantining for 10 days, he added.
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Translator: Andi Firdaus, Uyu Liman
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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