Prokes Violators In Ende NTT Will Be Tested For Antigen

KUPANG - Spokesperson for the COVID-19 Task Force for Ende Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, Aries Dewi Lestari, said the local government implemented COVID-19 tests in places where residents violated health protocols.

"The team from the regional government coordinated by the 1602 Kodim Commander Ende agreed that if anyone violates the procedures for testing and tracing activities, they will be tested on the spot," he said, quoted by Antara, Friday, August 13.

The Ende Regency Government has formed a team to carry out testing and tracing after the local area is set to run a level 4 program for implementing community activity restrictions (PPKM).

Dewi said that one of the reasons for implementing PPKM level 4 was the lack of a test rate because there were many rejections from residents who were afraid of being exposed to COVID-19 and being taken to a centralized quarantine area.

Therefore, according to him, the implementation of testing and tracing is a priority for the task force in the middle of the PPKM level 4 to August 16, 2021.

"So if someone rejects the procedure, they will have an antigen swab on the spot. This step is to break the chain of transmission of COVID-19," he said.

Dewi Lestari said the local government is targeting the implementation of COVID-19 tests during the PPKM level 4 period as many as 1,379 tests per day.

In terms of resource readiness, he said, the local government recruited health workers with honorary status or volunteer workers at the puskesmas to join the team to conduct antigen tests for residents.

As for logistics, he said, currently there are four thousand test kits available and are being proposed for additional equipment.

"The logistics required are around ten thousand antigen test kits, so we will use the existing ones first while waiting for the arrival of the equipment that we have proposed," he said.