Gerindra politician Soepriyatno died on Friday at Pertamina Central Hospital, South Jakarta, as a result of COVID-19.

“It’s true [Soepriyatno passed away]. On behalf of the Gerindra family, I want to convey condolences at the passing of a senior Gerindra figure,” Gerindra’s deputy chairman Sugiono confirmed on Friday as quoted by kompas.com.

“Hopefully he [died] khusnul khotimah [with blessings ahead],” he added.

He went on to say that Soepriyatno, a member of House of Representatives Commission IX overseeing health care, had been admitted to the hospital after his COVID-19 test came back positive a few weeks ago.

Soepriyatno was head of Gerindra’s Regional Representatives Council (DPD) from East Java. He was born on Oct.19, 1966.

He will be buried near his home in Depok, West Java.

On Wednesday, more than 40 staff members of the House had tested positive for COVID-19, 18 of whom are lawmakers, House secretary-general Indra Iskandar said.

He said that in addition to the 40 listed cases, some lawmakers with the virus had asked not to be included on the list.

Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan demanded that House legislators stop working at the compound for three days following the cluster of diagnoses, in accordance with the capital's large-scale social restrictions (PSBB).

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He noted that Jakarta City Hall had closed down for three days last month after several administration officials had tested positive for COVID-19. He said the House did not need to close the entire compound but only the areas where the lawmakers worked.

Indra, however, said that instead of closing the compound the House would sterilize the building every day.

"There are things that we must decide at hearings [...] So we can't just close it down,” he said, adding that the House was in recess until Nov. 8.

He said the 18 lawmakers and 22 other staff members who had tested positive for COVID-19 and had elected to be represented on the list were self-isolating at home and none had been hospitalized.

COVID-19 has been no respecter of government rank with several senior officials testing positive for the disease.

In March, Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi was treated at Gatot Subroto Central Regional Hospital in Jakarta for COVID-19. Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Edhy Prabowo was also admitted to the ICU at the same hospital after contracting the virus earlier on September.

On Sept. 21, Religious Affairs Minister Fachrul Razi announced he had tested positive for COVID-19.

On Friday afternoon the Health Ministry announced 4,094 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of infections nationwide to 324,658.

According to data released by the ministry on Friday, 97 more people have died of the disease, bringing the death toll to 11,677.

The total number of recovered patients has also increased to 247,667. (iwa)

 

Editor’s note: This article is part of a public campaign by the COVID-19 task force to raise people’s awareness about the pandemic.