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Jakarta confirms 11 staffers at City Hall’s Block G positive for COVID-19
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Jakarta's City Hall complex in Central Jakarta on Sept. 4, 2017. (Kompas.com/Garry Andrew Lotulung)
T
he Jakarta administration has confirmed that 11 City Hall employees have tested positive for COVID-19. All of them were stationed at City Hall’s Block G building, which is temporarily closed.
Jakarta Employment Agency head Chaidir said eight of the employees worked in the agency and three worked in the city administration’s legal bureau.
“They took COVID-19 rapid tests on Monday and I received reports [of the results] on Wednesday,” Chaidir told reporters Thursday.
He added that two high-ranking officials who work in Block G also tested positive for COVID-19, whom he requested not be identified by their names.
Previously, Governor Anies Baswedan said Block G would be temporarily closed for three days to be cleaned and disinfected following the infections.
Read also: Jakarta closes Block G building at City Hall after employee tests positive for COVID-19
On Wednesday, the city administration lost its secretary, Saefullah, who died at age 56 from several complications due to COVID-19. He served the administration for 36 years.
Anies, however, denied that the temporary closing of Block G was due to Saefullah’s death.
The South Jakarta administration issued on Wednesday a circular ordering all of its staffers to work from home until Monday after seven of them tested positive for the virus.
South Jakarta Mayor Marullah Matali said the administration building would be disinfected for three days before being reopened, tempo.co reported.
The capital, which has seen a spike in COVID-19 cases since late August, announced on Wednesday 1,294 new daily cases, bringing the total tally to 57,469 with 1,481 deaths.
The spike prompted the provincial administration to reinstate the large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) policy starting Monday after easing them back in June.
