There would be no exception, let alone those paying to escape quarantineJakarta (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), during a limited coordination meeting at the State Palace, clarified that there was no exception on quarantine for international travelers entering Indonesia to suppress the transmission of COVID-19.
"This especially holds significance since the Omicron variant had emerged in Indonesia. Hence, I urged all overseas travelers, who arrived in Indonesia, to undergo quarantine. There would be no exception, let alone those paying to escape quarantine," he emphasized.
Until Monday, Jokowi confirmed to have received reports of a spike in the number of cases of the Omicron variant, reaching 136, as well as the emergence of local transmission of the strain in the community.
The president called to streamline the policy to mitigate the spread of Omicron since the economic, office, and educational activities had recommenced at the start of this year.
"The increase of 136 cases mostly were imported cases," he noted.
The head of state urged all stakeholders, especially the National Police (Polri) and the State Intelligence Agency (BIN), to optimally supervise the implementation of quarantine.
"I am optimistic that the BIN and Polri that are concerned over this quarantine regulation would optimally monitor the implementation," he stated.
On a separate occasion, the COVID-19 task force had readied quarantine facilities at Indonesia's nine entry points: Soekarno-Hatta Airport, Banten; Juanda Airport, Surabaya; Sam Ratulangi Airport, North Sulawesi; Batam Port and Tanjung Pinang in the Riau Islands; Nunukan in North Kalimantan; Aruk border in West Kalimantan; Entikong in West Kalimantan; and Motaain in East Nusa Tenggara (NTB).
Indonesian citizens returning from countries with low Omicron transmission cases must undergo quarantine for 10 days, while Indonesians and foreign travelers from countries with high number of Omicron cases must be quarantined for 14 days at locations designated by the COVID-19 task force.
Jokowi also urged his staff to expedite COVID-19 vaccination for the community. As of Monday, a total of 281 million COVID-19 vaccine shots had been administered to public.
"We hope to be able to expedite our vaccination target, whether for the first or second dose. Do not worry, as we have plenty of vaccine stock," he affirmed.
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Translator: Indra A P, Resinta S
Editor: Sri Haryati
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