Seven months on, the COVID-19 outbreak in Indonesia has yet to show any signs of receding. The number of new cases constantly hovers around 4,000 every day, leading to high demand for quarantine facilities.
The Bekasi city administration in West Java has opted to turn the Patriot Candrabhaga Stadium into an isolation center for COVID-19 patients. The stadium, located in the heart of the city, now houses Bekasi’s asymptomatic COVID-19 patients.
Within the 30,000-seat stadium, health authorities have set up an isolation ward for families who do not have sufficient space for self-isolation in their respective homes. The ward currently has the capacity of 55 beds, with more planned.
In the stadium patients are routinely monitored by medical personnel. They are also required to participate in daily morning exercises to help increase their immunity against the coronavirus. Outside, rows of ambulances are on standby to pick up more COVID-19 patients with no, or mild, symptoms from local health centers or hospitals.
As of Oct. 2, health authorities had discharged 16 patients from the Patriot Candrabhaga Stadium quarantine center. (dio)