Coordinating Minister For Political, Legal And Security Affairs Asks Rizieq To Cooperate To Carry Out A Swab To Track COVID-19

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud MD in his office (Wardhany Tsa Tsia / VOI)

JAKARTA - The Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs (Menko Polhukam) Mahfud MD asked all parties, without exception, to carry out this tracking action cooperatively to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 in the community.

This is to respond to the attitude of the High Imam of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) who is not cooperative by refusing the swab test.

"We deeply regret the attitude of brother Rizieq Shihab who refuses to carry out a contact tracing considering that he had close contact with a COVID-19 patient," Mahfud said in an online press conference broadcast on the BNPB YouTube account, Sunday, November 29.

"We once again ask the wider community, whoever it is, to be cooperative so that the handling of COVID-19 is successful," he added.

He said the government will take firm steps against anyone who violates provisions that endanger public health and safety.

The former Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court (MK) also said that in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, every community must carry out health protocols.

"This includes volunteering to be tested, having close contacts and being willing to carry out treatment or quarantine if they are positive for the virus," he said.

3T measures or testing, tracing, and treatment must also be carried out by health workers who can access patient data information as well as close contacts. Because, this is useful for handling COVID-19 cases in Indonesia.

Previously, a similar statement was also made by the Chairperson of the COVID-19 Task Force Doni Monardo. According to him, Rizieq as a figure should be able to provide a cooperative role model in efforts to prevent transmission of this virus in the community.

"The COVID-19 Handling Task Force deeply regrets the attitude of brother Rizieq Shihab who refused to carry out a contact tracing considering he had close contact with a COVID-19 patient. We ask Rizieq as a community leader to cooperate and set an example in efforts to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic," said Doni in his written statement to reporters, Sunday, November 29.

It is known, information that Rizieq Shihab was sick and being treated at the UMMI Hospital, Bogor, West Java was conveyed by the Mayor of Bogor, Bima Arya, who had contacted the hospital. According to the management of the UMMI Hospital, Bogor, Rizieq was treated since Wednesday, November 25 and was treated for fatigue. However, the overall condition of the FPI frontman is in good condition and will continue to be subjected to further examinations by doctors.

Bima said that Rizieq had not yet carried out a swab test to detect COVID-19 in his body because he felt asymptomatic even though he also asked not to visit because he wanted to rest to the maximum.

Later, Arya revealed that Rizieq refused to undergo a swab test to detect whether he was exposed to COVID-19 or not.

"I received a report from the Health Service Team who came to the UMMI Hospital this afternoon to discuss the swab test with Habib Rizieq," he said as quoted by Antara, Friday, November 27.

Furthermore, it was rumored that Rizieq had fled from the Bogor UMMI Hospital on Saturday, November 28 evening. Reporting from Antara, West Java Police Public Relations Head Commissioner Erdi A Chaniago confirmed that Rizieq had indeed left the house and left the UMMI Hospital at around 21.00 WIB on Saturday, November 28.

"This is being investigated by the Bogor Police. The information is like that, that the patient at Ummi Hospital (Rizieq Shihab, red) at 21.00 WIB, Saturday night, November 28, was out," Chaniago told reporters, Sunday, November 29.

He said it was suspected that Rizieq had walked out of the back door of the hospital. Rizieq's departure, which was allegedly carried out in secret, was also unknown to the COVID-19 Handling Task Force.

Some of the information gathered also states the same thing. Based on the admission of a hospital security officer, Rizieq exited through the back door of the hospital which was a medicine warehouse. However, it is not certain that the vehicle carrying the FPI frontman.