Ministry Of Health: Indonesia's Omicron Cases Increase By 21 Patients

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Health announced that the Omicron case in the country will add 21 patients on December 29, 2021, which are dominated by foreign travelers.

"The Omicron case in Indonesia is due to travel from several countries, such as Saudi Arabia and Turkey, so people are encouraged to consider (if they wish) to take a vacation there," said Health Ministry COVID-19 Vaccination Spokesperson Siti Nadia Tarmizi, in a written statement quoted as saying, Antara, Wednesday, December 29.

With these additional cases, the data on positive cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in Indonesia so far have totaled 68 people.

Nadia said the 21 new cases were foreign travelers, consisting of 16 Indonesian citizens (WNI) and five foreign nationals (WNA).

The most visited countries are Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Until now, most of the Omicron cases in Indonesia are from foreign travelers.

When confirmed regarding this information, Nadia appealed to the public not to panic in the face of the entry of Omicron in Indonesia.

Nadia said that case tracking efforts are being intensified in various areas to detect the spread of Omicron early so that it can be prevented.

"Indeed, since last night there have been several patient evacuation events in several health care facilities, but not necessarily Omicron, it could be COVID-19," she said.

Nadia said tightening at the entrance to the country continues, especially at sea and land borders. "The positivity rate at the sea and land entrances is 10 times higher than in the air," she said.

Nadia appealed to the public to reduce mobility and remain disciplined in implementing health protocols. "Self-awareness and restraining the urge to travel must be done. I ask the public to work together to prevent the transmission of the COVID-19 virus by refraining from traveling," she said.