DPR Asks Residents To Avoid Traveling To Singapore

Murals in Indonesia to encourage others in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Between)

JAKARTA - Member of Commission IX DPR RI Irma Suryani Chaniago appealed to the public to avoid traveling to Singapore for a while. This was revealed because COVID-19 cases in Singapore experienced a spike. Meanwhile, in the midst of the spread of COVID-19, the KP.1 and KP.2 variants, which triggered a spike in cases in Singapore, Indonesia's flight rate to neighboring countries was still high. "“ Still have to avoid traveling to Singapore," said Irma in his statement, Sunday, May 26. However, this member of the NasDem faction of the DPR RI believes that the government does not need to issue a policy prohibiting going to Singapore. Given, the Ministry of Health stated that the ferocity of COVID-19 was not what it used to be. "God willing, if you have been vaccinated three times the risk of getting infected is relatively low as well as the ferocity," said Irma. On the one hand, Irma also asked the public to continue to apply standard health protocols, namely 3 M (washing hands, maintaining distance, wearing masks). "It's just that for comorbidities and the elderly, you still have to be careful if 3M is still recommended in the crowd," he said. Spokesperson for the Ministry of Health Mohammad Syahril said the Indonesian government was aware of the spread of COVID-19 variants KP.1 and KP.2. Official data from the Ministry of Health of Singapore shows an increase in COVID-19 cases from 13,700 cases during the period from April 28 to May 4 to 25,900 cases in the period 5-11 May 2024. The average number of cases admitted to hospital in Singapore increased from 181 cases in the 18th week to 250 cases in the 19th week. However, the average number of cases included in the daily Intensive Care Unit (ICU) remained low, namely 3 cases (week-19) and 2 cases (week 18). Globally, said Syahril, the JN.1 subvariant has dominated most countries, namely 54.3 percent. Locally, the combined proportions of KP.1 and KP.2 currently reach more than two-thirds of COVID-19 cases in Singapore. As of May 3, 2024, he said, the World Health Organization (WHO) has classified KP.2 as a Variant Under Monitoring (VUM). However, there is no indication that the KP.1 and KP.2 variants are more easily transmitted or cause severity compared to other COVID-19 variants. The KP variants detected in ASEAN are not only circulating in Singapore, but also in Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia. In Indonesia, the KP variant has not been found, he said.

"As of May 2024, the COVID-19 cases circulating in Indonesia are dominated by the Omicron JN.1.1, JN.1, and JN.1.39 subvariants. KP, have not been found yet,” he said.