224 Of The 587 Indonesian Migrant Workers Test Positive For COVID-19, Most Of Them Are In Malaysia

JAKARTA - Indonesian migrant workers (PMI) in various placement countries are starting to face problems amid the corona virus pandemic or COVID-19. Access for them to return to their homeland is also difficult, because several countries have implemented a lockdown system. Not a few of them are infected. Data from the Ministry of Manpower, 224 of 587 people tested positive for COVID-19.

The Minister of Manpower (Menaker) Ida Fauziyah asked the Labor Attaché (Atnaker) in placement countries to play an active role in overcoming the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially among PMI. The Labor Attaches were asked to increase their efforts to protect and handle PMI cases due to this outbreak.

"Based on reports from 12 Naker Attaches in 11 countries, the number of PMIs exposed to COVID-19 was 587," he said, in a written statement received by VOI, in Jakarta, Sunday, May 10.

Furthermore, Ida said, of the 587, there were 224 PMIs who were positively infected with COVID-19, the number of PMIs who entered quarantine was 353 and the number of PMIs who died was 10.

Of the 224 PMIs positive for COVID-19, the most were PMIs in Malaysia with 108 people, followed by the United Arab Emirates (40); Saudi Arabia as many as 37 people (22 people in Riyadh and 15 people in Jeddah); Qatar (18); Kuwait (13); Singapore (5); Taiwan (2); and Brunei Darussalam (1).

Meanwhile, the number of PMIs who have entered quarantine is 353 in four countries. Most in Korea, namely 173 people; and followed respectively Qatar (91); Saudi Arabia (89); and Kuwait (10). The number of PMI who died was 10 PMI people in Jeddah,

Ida said, it is necessary to continuously monitor the progress of the situation and conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic, including monitoring by Atnaker in placement countries.

According to Ida, monitoring is also useful for breaking the chain of spreading the COVID-19 virus from abroad to Indonesia.

"I ask the Naker Attaché to be alert 24 hours, don't turn off the cellphone, so that our children can complain at any time. Remember, sick people don't know the hours and the time. Don't get bored telling our children to 4 Don't: Don't go home, Don't forget the masks, don't get together and don't forget to wash your hands, "he said.

The Minister of Manpower also asked the Atnaker to appeal to Indonesian Migrant Workers not to go home or return to Indonesia. This appeal is a government step, to control the flow of mobility of people between regions in the country and to control mobility between countries that are at risk of bringing in imported cases (cases of COVID-19 virus infection where transmission occurs abroad).

"Send a message to my children, PMIs, if you feel unusually ill, immediately report the employer and the attaché. If there is an opportunity to do a rapid test provided by the local government, register immediately. If asked to quarantine, don't be naughty. You have to stay at home. "Later, when you recover, you can do your activities again," he said.

Many PMIs predict that the economic situation will not go well after the pandemic storm ends. So they want to return to their hometowns in Indonesia. One of them, from Malaysia.

These PMIs asked to be repatriated because they were jobless and had lost income since the implementation of the lockdown to break the chain of the spread of COVID-19 in the neighboring country.

For your information, the lockdown policy in Malaysia has been implemented since March 18. The application of this lockdown is extended every two weeks, now that Malaysia has entered its fifth phase.

The government periodically regulates the return of migrant workers to the country. Since January, the Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection Agency (BP2MI) has arranged three waves of return for a total of 126,742 migrant workers.

The first batch took place January 1 to March 23 through the Computerized System of Overseas Workers (SISKOTKLN) totaling 33,434 people. Then the BP2MI online return system recorded 17,884.

After the corona virus was detected in Indonesia, the repatriation process was arranged through the Task Force for the Acceleration of Handling COVID-19. In the period from March 2 to April 25, 75,424 migrant workers were repatriated. PMI who successfully returned to the country came from 83 placement countries.

Head of BP2MI Benny Rhamdani said that currently his party is arranging for the next stage of return which will take place from May to June. During that time, BP2MI predicts that there will be thousands of workers returning from the placement countries.

"As many as 34,300 PMIs will return to their homeland due to the expiration of their work contracts in 54 placement countries," said Benny, in a video conference with journalists, Saturday, May 9.

Benny then detailed the areas from which the migrant workers returned. Malaysia with the most placement countries, namely 13,074 workers. Then Hong Kong (11,359 workers), Taiwan (3,688 workers), Singapore (2611 workers).

The countries of origin for the next return were Saudi Arabia (800 workers), Brunei Darussalam (770 workers), South Korea (325 workers), Kuwait (304 workers), Italy (219 workers), and Oman (173 workers).