The PCR tests in Saudi Arabia came negative, but (after getting off the plane), the test results were positiveJakarta (ANTARA) - Several members of the advance team of the Umrah travel service provider bureau tested positive for COVID-19 after returning from Saudi Arabia.
Chairman of the Indonesian Hajj Umrah Organizing Union Syam Resfiadi explained that some advance teams had departed for Saudi Arabia on December 23, 2021, to map out the condition and prepare for the implementation of Umrah services.
Resfiadi, who was in the team of 14 people, revealed that all members of the team had tested negative for COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia before returning to Indonesia.
However, the union's chairman noted that after the team arrived in the country, one team member was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19, according to the test results conducted at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on January 6, 2022.
Another 13 team members, including Resfiadi, were declared negative for COVID-19 and were directed to undergo self-quarantine at a hotel for seven days after returning from Saudi Arabia.
However, on January 11, 2022, the team members were again subject to the RT-PCR test, and six of them tested positive.
"The 14 of us (the advanced team) experienced the (symptoms), such as coughing and cold. I myself experienced them on the second day (of quarantine)," Resfiadi added.
According to Resfiadi, a total of 13 members from all Umrah advance teams were confirmed to be COVID-19 positive after returning from Saudi Arabia and are currently undergoing quarantine at Wisma Atlet Jakarta.
"The PCR tests in Saudi Arabia came negative, but (after getting off the plane), the test results were positive. It is confusing," he pointed out.
Meanwhile, Indonesian Health Ministry's spokesperson Siti Nadia Tarmizi remarked that as of January 15, 2022, there were 569 imported cases out of the 748 Omicron cases found in Indonesia, while the remaining 155 were local transmissions.
Omicron variant infections were most commonly found in travelers from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United States, Malaysia, and the United Arab Emirates.
To this end, the Indonesian Government has suspended the Umrah pilgrims' departure, starting from January 15, to evaluate the One Gate Policy (OGP) scheme.
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Translator: Asep F, Kenzu T
Editor: Sri Haryati
Copyright © ANTARA 2022
