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Indonesia on high alert for community transmission as Omicron cases jump to 46
Experts have called for the government to batten down the hatches against Omicron to prevent community transmission as the nation’s caseload nearly doubles, mostly as a result of international travel.
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In this file photo taken on March 21, 2020, members of the Indonesian Red Cross prepare to sterilize the Kemayoran athletes village in Jakarta for use as a COVID-19 quarantine and emergency hospital. (JP/Seto Wardhana)
H
ealth experts have called on the government to brace for the worst and to ready nationwide mitigation against the Omicron variant, as new cases of the recently discovered COVID-19 variant nearly doubled last week to spark fears of community transmission.
Health Ministry spokesperson Siti Nadia Tarmizi confirmed with The Jakarta Post on Sunday that 26 Omicron cases had been detected among recent international arrivals, including 25 Indonesian citizens and one Nigerian national. Another Indonesian health worker at the Athletes Village Emergency Hospital had also tested positive for the variant, bringing the nationwide tally to 46 cases.
The majority of Omicron cases are quarantined at the Athletes Village, a sports facility in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta that was converted last year into a state-run COVID-19 emergency hospital and quarantine center, while the rest are in isolation at the Sulianti Saroso Infectious Diseases Hospital (RSPI) in North Jakarta.
Despite the spike in the Omicron caseload, Nadia said authorities had largely been able to prevent community transmission, referring to widespread infections among the general population. Nonetheless, she encouraged the public to refrain from nonessential overseas travel, remain vigilant and observe the prevailing health protocols.
Uptick in arrivals
At a virtual press briefing early on Monday, Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan revealed that authorities were expecting an increase in international arrivals to more than 5,000 at the beginning of 2022.
Read also: Indonesia expands quarantine capacity to anticipate uptick in international arrivals
