"We will follow up the rapid tests with swab tests because the results from the rapid tests are less accurate compared to swab tests," Bandung Mayor Oded Daniel said on Wednesday.

About 2,000 people had attended a religious seminar held by GBI Lembang between March 2 and 6.

On March 21, a pastor who attended the seminar died after testing positive for COVID-19. His wife also contracted the disease and died about a week later.

Ryan B. Ristandi, the person-in-charge of West Java’s Health Laboratory said that of Tuesday, 17 patients linked to the church event were under surveillance for COVID-19 and had been hospitalized.

Oded urged his residents to keep practicing social distancing and stay at home as the number of COVID-19 cases in Bandung and West Java rose.

"The spread [of COVID-19] is getting wider. I ask all residents to be disciplined and stay at home. Don't go out as much unless you need to buy essentials," he said.

Meanwhile, the Sukabumi Health Agency is planning to conduct rapid tests on people who live around the Police Officer Candidate School (Setukpa) in Sukabumi.

"We'll carry out the tests around the police academy after the health agency receives 2,000 rapid test kits," Sukabumi COVID-19 spokesperson Wahyu Handriana said.

Previously, 300 of 1,550 students of the academy tested positive for COVID-19 after rapid tests.

According to the central government’s official count, there were 223 confirmed COVID-19 cases in West Java as of Thursday. (nal)