Head Of National Board for Disaster Management Flies To Kudus Due To Spike In COVID-19 Cases

JAKARTA - Head of National Board for Disaster Management (BNPB) and Head of the Task Force for Handling COVID-19 Ganip Warsito left for Kudus, Central Java to handle the spike in cases.

The spike in cases in Kudus had caught the attention of President Joko Widodo during a limited meeting at the ministry and agency level on Monday, May 31.

"Head of the National Disaster Management Agency, Lieutenant General Ganip Warsito, left for Kudus, Central Java, considering that active COVID-19 cases in the region experienced a significant spike after the Eid 1442 Hijri holiday", said BNPB Head of Data and Communications Agency Raditya Jati in his statement, Wednesday, 2 June.

Raditya said that Ganip's working visit was a form of the Government's quick response to protect residents from the potential for an even greater increase in cases of the coronavirus.

Ganip departed for Kudus via Semarang, using an Indonesian Air Force aircraft from Halim Perdanakusuma Airbase, East Jakarta, this afternoon.

After landing in Semarang, Ganip will immediately hold a coordination meeting with the Governor of Central Java Ganjar Pranowo and elements of the Regional leadership coordination forum (Forkopimda) and related components.

"Furthermore, the Head of the Task Force, Ganip Warsito, is scheduled to hold a coordination meeting with the Kudus Regency Government and the local Forkopimda, an apple for the addition of 450 Task Force personnel to assist and assist Micro-scale Restrictions on Community Activities (PPKM), enforce 3M prokes, and organize 3T", explained Raditya.

Then, Ganip will also assess the establishment of a COVID-19 special field hospital in Kudus Regency as well as determine the support for quarantine/self-isolation facilities centered on each sub-district or village.

Previously, Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin said President Joko Widodo had highlighted the increase in COVID-19 cases in Kudus Regency, Central Java.

"He (Jokowi) questioned, asking for reports in Central Java, namely Kudus. Indeed, Kudus has recently seen a tremendous increase, both in terms of confirmed cases and hospital admissions", said Minister of Health Budi on Monday, May 31.

Currently, Kudus is in the red zone or an area with a high risk of COVID-19. In fact, there are hospitals that are no longer able to accept new COVID-19 patients. Then, at least 140 health workers were also infected with COVID-19.

The spike in cases in Kudus was caused by gathering activities during Eid al-Fitr 1442 Hijri and the large number of people who performed homecoming celebrating Eid there. Family COVID-19 clusters have also sprung up.