leven inbound travelers from Italy tested positive for the coronavirus through rapid testing at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, on Friday.
They were subsequently admitted to the COVID-19 emergency hospital at the former Asian Games athletes village in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta.
Soekarno-Hatta Airport Health Office head Anas Maruf confirmed that the inbound travelers were "Indonesian migrant workers who worked as fishing vessel crewmen in Italy", as reported by tribunnews.com.
He said 579 people arrived at the airport from abroad on the same day, most of whom were migrant workers.
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As many as 351 of the total passengers came from Italy using a chartered plane while 62 came from Singapore using Garuda Airlines, 116 from Malaysia using Garuda Airlines and 60 from Qatar using Qatar Airways, Anas said.
The large number of inbound travelers eventually resulted in a buildup of passengers at the airport's international arrival terminals, as they had to undergo tests before being allowed to leave the facility.
"We only have 24 medical staff and five doctors at the location to help with the testing," Anas said as quoted by tribunnews.com. (vny)
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