KSP Encourages Quarantine Discipline And Health Protocols To Implement Umrah

Documentation of Main Expert Staff of the Presidential Staff Office of the Republic of Indonesia Abraham Wirotomo. (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - The Main Expert Staff of the Presidential Staff Office (KSP) Abraham Wirotomo said the risk of transmission of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 from Umrah pilgrims can be minimized if quarantine and health protocols are implemented in a disciplined manner.

"Essentially, if people are quarantined for seven days, the probability of local transmission appearing is only 0.01-1 percent. So, the key lies in implementing discipline, both from the government side and the people undergoing quarantine," said Abraham at the Bina Graha Building, the Presidential Palace Complex, as reported by Antara, Jakarta, Monday, January 10.

The government will reopen the implementation of Umrah services starting Saturday, January 8. Previously, the Umrah departure which was planned to be carried out in December 2021 was postponed to prevent transmission of Omicron.

According to Abraham, the government has prepared various steps to prevent imported cases of Omicron, including from Umrah pilgrims. These steps include ensuring quarantine and isolation are carried out with maximum compliance, increasing tracking, and implementing strict post-quarantine health protocols.

"KSP will carry out field monitoring to ensure that everything is going according to the President's direction," he said.

He added that the government had also optimized various resources to control the transmission of Omicron. For example, by adding capacity at centralized quarantine locations, distributing drugs to 34 provinces, and increasing oxygen quotas.

"This week's oxygen supply has increased to 80 percent, up from the previous 50-60 percent. Health workers in each region are also ready to return to the field to face Omicron," he said.

The Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) noted that there were 318 Omicron cases in Indonesia as of January 7, 2022. 295 cases were cases originating from overseas travelers, and the remaining 23 cases were transmission or local transmission.