23 Congregants From Tanjung Jabung Timur Jambi Return To Umrah With Positive Status For COVID-19

The East Tanjung Jabung PKK Mess is used as a place to isolate COVID-19 patients who have just returned from Umrah. (ANTARA/HO)

JAMBI - A total of 23 members of the congregation from Tanjung Jabung Timur Regency, Jambi who returned for Umrah with a positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test result for COVID-19 were immediately isolated in a machine belonging to the local PKK for recovery.

Spokesperson for the Tanjung Jabung COVID-19 Handling Task Force, Timur Sapril, said that most of them did not have co-morbidities so they only needed time to recover after performing Umrah in the Holy Land, Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

A total of 92 other congregation members with positive PCR test results in Jakarta, underwent isolation at the Jakarta Athlete's Wisma. They have not been able to return to Jambi.

Sapril explained about the 23 members of the congregation who were positive for COVID-19 when they were about to return to their hometown in Tanjung Jabung Timur Regency. Initially, the group of 32 people wanted to return to their original area.

However, when they arrived in Jambi, they again underwent a PCR test and it was found that there was a positive for the virus so they were immediately quarantined at the PKK Mess Tanjung Jabung Timur.

The number of members of the Umrah congregation from Tanjung Jabung Timur Regency was 124 people on Sunday, February 13 arriving in the country via Jakarta. They immediately underwent a PCR test with the result that 92 people were positive for COVID-19, so they immediately underwent quarantine at Wisma Atlet Jakarta.

The remaining 32 people headed to Jambi. When they arrived in Tanjung Jabung Timur, they again underwent a PCR test with 23 positive results for COVID-19, so the Tanjung Jabung Timur Task Force for Handling COVID-19 took them to undergo quarantine at the local PKK mes- sage.

Sapril said COVID-19 cases in East Tanjung Jabung district experienced a significant spike. He hoped that the community would always implement health protocols in their daily activities.

"Hopefully there will be fewer COVID-19 patients and the public will continue to comply with health protocols to break the chain of spread," said Sapril.