COVID-19 Task Force to Provide Additional Assistance to Provinces with Significant Hike in Cases

Head of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) National Task Force Doni Monardo delivers press statement after a limited meeting, on Thursday (4/6). (Photo by: Rahmat/PR)

Coronavirus (COVID-19) National Task Force and Ministry of Health will visit provinces that record a significant hike in COVID-19 positive cases and provide assistance to the regions.

“We will give assistance to the provinces so they can improve their healthcare facilities, and intensify contact tracking of those tested positive for the virus,” Head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), Doni Monardo, as Head of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) National Task Force said after a limited meeting on Thursday (4/6).

Previously, the Task Force and Ministry of Health have provided some assistance to East Java Province, including permanent and mobile Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) machines. In addition, the National Intelligence Agency (BIN) also gave assistance to the province.

Head of the Task Force said that the number of medical workers must be increased in line with the increase of COVID-19 patients. Thus, they can get enough sleep.

“If doctors and nurses cannot have enough sleep, their immunity will drop. We must protect them because they are heroes. The Task Force and Ministry of Health always give our best to protect them,” he added.

According to him, Regional Government of East Java Province and the City of Surabaya have built emergency hospital to ease the burden of referral hospitals.

Cooperation, he added, must also be strengthened particularly at provincial level. Personnel of the Indonesian National Defense Force (TNI), the Indonesian National Police (Polri), and the Regional Intelligence Agency (BINDA) are helping medical workers in conducting tracing and tracking to People Under Monitoring (ODP) and their close contacts.

“Heads of Provincial Health Office should lead this action and through an integrated management they will know better about people affected by the virus in their regions, as well as their locations, and to impose self-isolation to them,” he said adding that those in isolation are not allowed to go outside their homes or isolation facilities.

Regarding PCR machine, Doni asserted that the Task Force will procure new machines because the existing ones take quite a long time to finish a test. Therefore, the new machines which are more advanced and faster are expected to increase the quantity of testing. (FID/EN)

Translated by : Rany Anjany
Reviewed by: Mia Medyana