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Jokowi calls for tight monitoring of COVID-19 clusters
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People practice physical distancing while buying vegetables amid the COVID-19 outbreak in Depok, West Java, on April 28. (REUTERS/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana)
P
resident Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has called for stringent monitoring of several clusters of COVID-19 cases to curb the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in Indonesia.
The President noted that clusters had been recorded among influxes of migrant workers returning home, Tablighi Jamaat members, factory workers and people returning to their hometowns.
“These [clusters] must be well-monitored,” Jokowi said during the virtual meeting with the COVID-19 task force on Monday.
He highlighted migrant workers as an example.
“I have been told that around 89,000 Indonesian migrant workers have returned [to the country] and there will be more of them, possibly reaching 16,000 people […] This is something we must pay attention to,” he said.
Read also: COVID-19: Govt must ensure well-being of returning migrant workers, advocacy group says
The number is larger than was predicted by the Indonesia Migrant Worker Protection Agency (BP2MI), which estimated that around 37,000 Indonesian migrant workers had returned home after their contracts ended in April and May, Antara news agency reported.
Of the returning migrant workers, BP2MI recorded that around 15,400 had returned from Malaysia, 11,300 from Hong Kong and 3,507 from Singapore.
Recently, tobacco giant HM Sampoerna temporarily shut down its factory in Rungkut district of Surabaya, East Java, following reports that two workers had died from COVID-19 and that dozens of other workers had tested positive for the virus that causes the disease.
The cigarette factory was identified as a new COVID-19 cluster in Surabaya when the two workers' test results came back positive after their deaths on April 14.
Surabaya – along with its satellite areas of Gresik and Sidoarjo – imposed a 14-day period of large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) on April 28.
Read also: High influx of Indonesian migrant workers from Malaysia, despite call to stay amid outbreak
In addition, Jokowi urged authorities to closely monitor industrial areas, especially in regions that have imposed large-scale social restrictions (PSBB).
“We must do inspections [if needed] to ensure they follow the health protocols,” the President said.
Jokowi stressed on Monday that there needed to be an evaluation of PSBB measures, which are currently in place in four provinces and 22 cities. The restrictions that are aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19, he said, must be evaluated to ensure they were being implemented effectively.
