COVID-19 Task Force Prepares 1,900 Beds For Quarantine In Surabaya

Head of the Task Force for Handling COVID-19, Lt. Gen. Suharyanto with Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - The head of the COVID-19 Handling Task Force (Satgas) Lt. Gen. Suharyanto confirmed the readiness of Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, East Java as one of the entrances for international arrivals with 1,900 beds available for quarantine purposes.

"The preparations are almost final. 1,900 beds can be used and can be added gradually if needed," said Head of the COVID-19 Handling Task Force Lt. Gen. Suharyanto in a statement received in Jakarta, reported by Antara, on Friday, December 31.

He said this while reviewing the quarantine readiness of Surabaya with the Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi and the Governor of East Java Kofiffah Indar Parawangsa in Surabaya, Friday.

The thousands of beds were divided into three places for centralized quarantine for Indonesian migrant workers (PMI), students, and state civil servants as well as a number of hotels for general travellers.

He explained that the centralized quarantine that had been provided included the Sukolilo Hajj Dormitory, the Ministry of Religion's Education and Training Center, the Education Quality Testing Institute and a number of hotels.

For the quarantine of general travellers, a number of 3-star to 5-star hotels have also been prepared which have been verified by the Ministry of Health. Quarantine security will be coordinated by personnel from Kodam V Brawijaya.

Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi in his statement also ensured that the immigration process and health protocols at the airport were also ready with standard operating procedures.

"The government is learning from the quarantine process in Jakarta so that it knows what needs to be improved. Operational confirmation will be taken today in a coordination meeting with the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan)," said the Minister of Transportation.

He explained that in the early stages the Ministry of Transportation opened a maximum of three flights per week while evaluating whether additional flights were needed.

The opening of international arrivals through Juanda Airport was carried out to reduce the density of arrivals at Soekarno Hatta Airport, Jakarta, which has reached 3,500-4,000 passengers every day.

In order to prevent imported transmission of COVID-19, passengers are also required to quarantine for 10-14 days accompanied by two PCR tests that have negative results, as a step to be wary of the entry of the Omicron variant.

With the opening of Juanda Airport in Surabaya, there are currently four international arrivals, along with Soekarno Hatta in Jakarta, Ngurah Rai in Bali and Sam Ratulangi in Manado, North Sulawesi.