Yogyakarta (ANTARA) - The number of active COVID-19 cases in Yogyakarta City has shown an increasing trend since the middle of last week, and currently, the number has crossed 20, an official has informed.

"Some additional daily cases were caused by travelers who tested positive for COVID-19," Heroe Poerwadi from the COVID-19 Handling Task Force of Yogyakarta City said here on Monday.

According to Poerwadi, the travelers who visited Yogyakarta were holding a negative result for the COVID-19 test. However, they tested positive when they underwent testing again before leaving Yogyakarta, he said.

"Due to administrative or recording factors, the test results showing the tourists were tested positive for COVID-19 were included in Yogyakarta City's data, so active cases increased," he explained.

Those travelers were directed to conduct self-isolation at several hotels, and the task force has asked the hotels' managers to tighten the health protocols, he said.

"I have asked the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) to tighten health protocols at hotels," Poerwadi asserted.

According to data from corona.jogjakota.go.id, the number of active cases in Yogyakarta city as of Sunday (January 23, 2022) was recorded at 21. The number has tripled compared to the previous week, when only 7 active cases were reported.

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“Health protocols must still be implemented, and currently, we are continuing to intensify booster vaccinations, prioritized for older adults," he said.

As for Omicron, he expressed the hope that the variant would not be found in the city.

"Until now, we have not received the results of the seven samples that we sent to the laboratory for whole-genome sequencing," he informed.

The first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Indonesia in March 2020.

According to data provided by the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, as of January 24, 2022, at least 4,289,305 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the country, while 4,124,211 people have recovered and 144,227 people have succumbed to the virus.

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Translator: Eka Arifa, Raka Adji
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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