Collaborating to Prevent Coronavirus from Spreading
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Collaborating to Prevent Coronavirus from Spreading
Indonesia has announced two positive cases of COVID-19 in the country. The government and the nation are called upon to join hands in preventing the spread of the disease.
By
KOMPAS TEAM
·5 minutes read
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — President Joko Widodo has announced that two Indonesian citizens are suffering from COVID-19, caused by the novel coronavirus, and are currently being treated at the Sulianti Saroso Infectious Diseases Hospital, Jakarta. With the two cases, all parties should be collaborating to prevent the spread of the disease.
“Last week a Japanese citizen visited Indonesia and then stayed in Malaysia, where he tested positive for coronavirus. Upon further tracing, while in Indonesia he had been in contact with a 64-year-old mother and her 31-year-old daughter. After being examined, both tested positive for coronavirus,” said the President, who was standing beside Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto at Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, on Monday (2/3/2020).
The President stated that the government was striving to prevent the entry of COVID-19 to Indonesia by strictly guarding 135 access gates to Indonesia but it was not easy to execute. “Checking with scanners (for temperature) cannot be 100 percent accurate,” he said.
Now the local health office is monitoring and isolating the patients’ house in Depok.
Terawan revealed that the two patients living in Depok were examined at Sulianti Saroso Infectious Diseases Hospital on March 1, 2020 and declared COVID-19 positive. Now the local health office is monitoring and isolating the patients’ house in Depok.
The government is tracking other Indonesian citizens who interacted with the Japanese national. However, there’s no restriction on activity in Depok and other areas. Terawan acknowledged that the Japanese suffering from COVID-19 and infecting the Depok residents had passed the body temperature check at the airport. The temperature screening is not effective if there are no symptoms.
Deputy director of the Eijkman Molecular Biology Institute, Research and Technology Ministry, Herawati Supolo Sudoyo, said the history of contact between the Japanese and Indonesians was the key to preventing the infection from uncontrollably spreading.
“Tracing the contact history of the patients and the Japanese carrying COVID-19 while in Indonesia is important to control its expansion. Who was met and where they were going? The contact should be studied,” she said.
The history of this coronavirus exposure can be detected by examining antibodies in the blood. “The government should mobilize all potentials and other laboratories possessing relevant capacity. They should collaborate and put aside sectorial ego. This is for the nation,” she added.
We’ll be moving fast to handle, anticipate, control and provide guidance if they really are positively infected by the disease,
So far more than 70 people who interacted with the COVID-19 patients have been monitored by the Depok city administration and the Health Ministry. According to Depok Mayor Mohammad Idris, they haven’t yet been infected by this virus and most of them are medical personnel at the hospital where the patients affected by coronavirus had their health examined.
“I asked these people to submit their detailed data such as home addresses. We’ll be moving fast to handle, anticipate, control and provide guidance if they really are positively infected by the disease,” he said at the Depok City Hall.
Meanwhile, it’s likely that educational activities and the public administration in Depok will be suspended if any serious coronavirus epidemic threat arises. Nevertheless, all residents of Depok are called upon to avoid panic over the information about virus transmission.
Safety measures
A police line was placed around the COVID-19 patients’ house as part of safety measures. Residents have shown minimum activity around the location. The Depok Health Office has sterilized the house. “As informed by the health office, we should be (at least) 20 meters from the position of the patients’ last room,” said Sukmajaya Sector Police chief of the Depok Metropolitan Precinct Police, Adj. Comr. Ibrahim A. Sadjab.
Before the police line was set up, local health office personnel took one man from the house by ambulance. The man is the patients’ gardener.
In the meantime, the regions close to Depok like Bogor, Tangerang and South Tangerang are increasing alertness against the spread of the novel coronavirus. Bogor Regent Ade Yasin said the Bogor regency administration was monitoring residents and patients at the hospital. Head of Tangerang City Health Office, Liza Puspadewi, indicated that her office was making an inventory of health equipment, personnel and facilities.
West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil said the province was on level-one alert against coronavirus. This status has been applied to main hospitals in 27 regencies/cities in West Java. To prevent the spread of this virus, the provincial government has instructed the West Java Manpower and Transmigration Office to examine foreign arrivals.
Head of the Central Java Health Office, Yulianto Prabowo, said the control of travelers from affected countries was being intensified. Tightened control has been conducted at Central Java’s entry gates, which are Jenderal Ahmad Yani International Airport Semarang, Adi Soemarmo International Airport Boyolali and Tanjung Emas Seaport Semarang.
Anticipation
To prevent the transmission of the disease, the President appealed to citizens to maintain personal hygiene by frequently washing hands and limiting contact. Director general of health service of the Health Ministry, Bambang Wibowo, said the government had issued guidelines for COVID-19 control and communicated this information to health facilities comprising public health centers and hospitals. “We have 100 referral hospitals for emerging infectious diseases. In view of the potential for infection, 32 more referral hospitals are being prepared,” he said.
The House of Representatives has urged the government to set up a COVID-19 crisis handling center. The government’s openness about announcing the two cases of COVID-19, according to House Deputy Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, served as the basis for heightening vigilance over the virus.
Director general of land transportation of the Transportation Ministry, Budi Setiyadi, advised that residents in public places, especially public transportation means, wear masks.