Hundreds of people rallied in front of Surabaya City Hall on Monday, calling on Mayor Eri Cahyadi to put an end to the screening of travelers crossing into the city from Madura along the Suramadu bridge.

Commuters to the mainland have been required to take COVID-19 antigen swab tests and have been turned back if the results come back positive.

But instead of curbing the spread of the virus, protesters insist, the policy discriminates against the people of Madura as one of its regencies experiences an uptick in infections believed to be imported from returning Indonesian migrant workers.

An orator at the rally accused the mayor of only intending to protect Surabaya residents and not the Madurese. Protestors said the policy was detrimental to Madura residents as it would further weaken the local economy.

The longer this policy remained in place, the orator said, the more likely it was that the Madurese would “starve to death”.

The bridge is the only direct road connecting the island of Madura to Surabaya.

The protestors, made up largely of traders and commercial drivers, demanded an audience with the mayor and threatened to storm the heavily guarded city hall complex.

Since the beginning of the month, the city has imposed the screenings and mandatory swab tests for commuters on the Surabaya-bound length of the bridge.

From these screenings, Airlangga University’s Institute of Tropical Diseases has found three people positive for the more contagious Delta variant of the virus, which has only recently been detected in the country.

Two of the people infected were from Bangkalan regency, while the other person came from Bojonegoro.

“The one from Bojonegoro was visiting Madura,” said Joni Wahyuhadi, head of the East Java COVID-19 task force.

Joni said the Delta variant continued to spread in Bangkalan. As of Monday, the task force had found 11 additional cases involving the variant.

Since it was first detected in the area, 19 people have tested positive for the variant first identified in India – a testament to its fast-spreading nature.

“A fairly steep hike in Bangkalan’s COVID-19 cases is expected. The K2-11 [Delta variant cases] all originate from there,” Joni told reporters at the Grahadi State Building.

East Java Health Agency head Herlin Ferliana said the Delta variant has been transmitted locally in various parts of the province. The agency has called on everyone to increase their vigilance.

On Saturday, 100 new cases and 11 deaths were reported by the East Java COVID-19 task force. The surge made Bangkalan the regency of Madura with the highest COVID-19 numbers.

Since Monday, the Bangkalan administration has been requiring residents to have entry and exit permits (SIKM) to cross to the mainland via the Suramadu bridge or Kamal Port.

Agus Sugianto Zain, the head of Bangkalan’s Communications and Information Agency, said the permits would make it easier for residents who regularly commuted between Madura and Surabaya by allowing them to frequent the bridge or port without having to be tested each time.

“The main goal is to provide leeway for those who pass through Bangkalan and make it less troublesome,” Agus said during an interview with a radio station in Surabaya.

The permits prioritize commuters. Residents seeking passage through Suramadu bridge or Kamal Port for other reasons are subject to on-the-spot COVID-19 tests. This policy was introduced following infection surges in four subdistricts of the regency: Bangkalan city, Arosbaya, Klampis and Geger.

“Residents who wish to go to Bangkalan won’t be prevented from doing so, but they must follow the rules that apply,” Agus said.

The new wave of cases brought about by the Delta variant has further complicated pandemic response efforts in Surabaya, which has been inundated with COVID-19 patients.

The bed occupancy rate (BOR) in the city’s hospitals is over 80 percent, with nearly every hospital stating that COVID-19 patients are chiefly occupying the beds. As of Sunday, five COVID-19 referral hospitals in the city were at full capacity.

Dr. Soetomo Hospital, which has a capacity of 300 beds, is currently 98 percent occupied. The teaching hospital is due to add another 30 beds that will not be equipped with ventilators.

The Islamic Hospital (RSI) has stated that their 55 beds are all occupied by self-isolating COVID-19 patients.

The Indrapura Field Hospital, with a 400-bed capacity, is currently treating 379 patients.

The Pelindo Husada Citra (PHC) Harbor Hospital, which has 160 beds, as well as the Darmo Surabaya Hospital, have stated that they are fully occupied as well.

In response to the situation, the East Java administration will add 900 isolation beds in two different locations, acting East Java administrative secretary Heru Tjahjono has said.

The first location will be set up at the former Surabaya Madura Regional Development Agency (BPWS), which has now been converted into a COVID-19 emergency hospital with a 500-bed capacity. The second location will be six shophouses that have been rented out as screening and isolation sites with a total 400-bed capacity.

“Upon disembarking the Suramadu bridge [on the Bangkalan side], there will be six food courts that have been set up [...] for swab testing. There are 362 beds there and now 341 are occupied,” said Heru on Monday.

“We’re aiming to get more beds and have requested a shophouse in Burneh be outfitted with another 400 beds meant for people who tested positive.”

He also said that East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa and Brawijaya/V Commander Maj. Gen. Suhariyanto would work onsite so they could directly monitor the overflow of patients from Madura.

“The governor and military commander are to work from the BPWS office. The Surabaya Police chief and the regional military commander will continue to coordinate efforts with health workers. We will reevaluate the latest developments with them,” Heru said.