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COVID-19: North Sumatran placed in isolation after attending Kuala Lumpur religious gathering
More than 600 Indonesians attended the large gathering, 350 of who came from North Sumatra
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Medical personnel transport a patient under surveillance for COVID-19 at Adam Malik Hospital in Medan, North Sumatra, on March 18. (Antara/Septianda Perdana )
A
person from Langkat regency, North Sumatra who recently attended a mass religious gathering in Kuala Lumpur has been placed under surveillance for COVID-19 in an isolation ward at Adam Malik Hospital in Medan.
The patient, who lives in Hinai district, was among 350 people from the province to attend the event in the Malaysian capital. The gathering was held from Feb. 28 to March 1 and attended by around 16,000 people from several countries, including Indonesia.
Langkat regional secretary Indra Salahuddin said the administration had recorded 30 people that had attended the gathering. Apart from the one placed in isolation, eight others had been ordered to self-quarantine in their homes.
"These people just returned on March 15," Indra told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
The North Sumatra administration ordered local administrations to trace 350 residents across the province who recently returned from the Kuala Lumpur gathering. They were placed in observation in an effort to prevent the coronavirus from spreading further.
Read also: How a 16,000-strong religious gathering led Malaysia to lockdown
Adam Malik Hospital spokesperson Rosario Dorothy Simanjuntak confirmed that the patient had been placed in an isolation room. The spokesperson, however, refused to reveal the patient’s identity and origin.
She added that the number of patients under surveillance for COVID-19 at the hospital had reached 10 as of Thursday afternoon.
Authorities of Southeast Asian countries – including Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam and Indonesia – have been tracking thousands of their citizens believed to have been potentially exposed to the coronavirus at the religious event on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur.
A number of Brunei and Singapore nationals had been tested positive of COVID-19 after attending the event. At least three Indonesians also test positive for the disease.
More than 600 Indonesians attended the large gathering, 350 of whom came from North Sumatra. (aly)
