Omicron Patient Passes Quarantine, DPR Commission IX Asks Ministry Of Health To Reinforce Rules For Travelers
JAKARTA - The leadership of the House of Representatives Commission IX highlighted the escape of a positive patient of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 from quarantine at the Kemayoran Athlete's Wisma Jakarta.
Deputy Chairman of Commission IX of the House of Representatives Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena asked the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) to strengthen the rules regarding international travellers. Mainly, quarantine obligations.
"The Minister of Health needs to make stricter rules for international travelers who enter the country, it must not be repeated," said Melki to reporters, Tuesday, December 28. In addition, the Golkar politician assesses that the Ministry of Health also needs to be strict about which laboratories are allowed to handle PCR tests. So that there is a standardization of the laboratory that is used and becomes a reference for all international travellers. "There must be strict rules in which labs will be used and may be used for PCR, swabs for international travellers," explained Melki.
The NTT legislator also suggested that there should be two comparative tests so that only patients who received two PCR results from different labs could enter Indonesia or leave quarantine. , it has just been stated that the person concerned may leave the quarantine location," said Melki.
Previously, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin revealed that the Omicron patient who escaped from the Wisma Atlet was an overseas traveler who came from England. When he arrived, he was declared positive for COVID-19, but asked for a comparative test. After the second test, he was declared negative for COVID-19 and was allowed to self-quarantine by the DKI Health Office. "Five days later, he tested positive for Omicron, so we are after again and we will test the whole family. all and Alhamdulillah, all negative," said the Minister of Health at a press conference, Monday, December 27.