North Sumatra Considers Blocking Omicron Anticipatory Border Areas

ILLUSTRATION/PHOTO VIA BETWEEN

MEDAN - The Provincial Government of North Sumatra is still considering a policy to activate blocking posts at every crossing and border area in order to suppress the transmission rate of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

Member of the North Sumatra COVID-19 Task Force, Dr. Restuti Saragaih, said the North Sumatra Provincial Government would impose isolation if COVID-19 cases continued to increase in the next two weeks.

"If the conditions are not good after the Yustisi Operation, it means that maybe the community is a bit difficult (implementing the prokes-red), then maybe isolation steps will be taken," he said, quoted by Antara, Monday, February 14.

Restuti said that currently the North Sumatra Provincial Government is still prioritizing the implementation of health protocols and the acceleration of COVID-19 vaccination, in an effort to anticipate the spread of the Omicron variant.

The acceleration of the COVID-19 vaccination is prioritized for the elderly and other vulnerable groups, considering that this variant is considered to be more rapid in transmission.

Based on data from the North Sumatra COVID-19 Task Force, COVID-19 cases in the province increased by 825 people as of February 13, 2022, bringing the total accumulation to 111,982 cases.

Meanwhile, cases of infection with the SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1529 or Omicron corona virus in the area so far have amounted to 28 cases.