Indonesia on alert of possIBlE 2nD wAvE oF COVID-19 outbreak
Jakarta: Indonesian President Joko Widodo has ordered authorities to take strides to prevent possible second wave of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infection from the coming tens of thousands of migrant workers and ship employees in the weeks ahead.
As many as 86,000 Indonesian migrant workers had already returned to the country and about 16,000 others will come home, the president told an online limited cabinet meeting.
He ordered the authorities to ramp up surveillance of workers coming back from abroad, persons returning from religious gatherings and from places where industries remain operational.
“Those persons must be fully monitored. Do not let the second wave of COVID-19 cases emerge,” he said.
The President also asked for clarifying industries which are allowed to operate and which ones are not, so that appropriate responses to those returning from the areas where the industries are situated can be well made.
He also ordered a review of the recurrent partial lockdowns being imposed in the country’s capital of Jakarta, three other provinces and dozens of cities.
In the country’s capital, COVID-19 Task Force Chief Doni Monardo on Monday said that the rate of the new infection cases has declined.
Indonesia, with a population of over 260 million people, plans to ramp up daily tests to 10,000, but Mr Monardo said that the lack of manpower hemmed in the goal.