West Kalimantan Experienced Increase In COVID-19 Cases, Doni Monardo Allegedly Due To Return Of Migrant Workers

Chairperson of the Task Force for Handling COVID-19 Doni Monardo (DOK. IST)

JAKARTA - There has been a trend of increasing new cases of COVID-19 in West Kalimantan from the end of February to March.

Currently, there are a total of 5,406 cases of COVID-19 with 13.9 percent of active cases, 85.4 percent of which have recovered and 0.6 percent of cases died.

Chairperson of the Task Force for Handling COVID-19 Doni Monardo said the increase in cases was due to the return of migrant workers to the province, which is dominated by road trips. This he conveyed during a coordination meeting at the Governor's Office of West Kalimantan.

"The predicted and suspected increase in active cases (COVID-19) in West Kalimantan comes from PMI returning from neighboring countries," Doni said in his statement, Thursday, March 18.

In fact, based on previous data, West Kalimantan Province in early February was one of the regions with the lowest number of COVID-19 cases.

The cure rate at that time had approached 98 percent and the death rate was 0.62 percent or far below the national average which is currently in the position of 2.70 percent.

Because of that, Doni asked the foreign border posts in West Kalimantan Province (West Kalimantan) to be tightened. This needs to be done considering the active cases of COVID-19 in the region have increased in the past month.

In order to prevent an increase in the number of COVID-19 through cases from foreign countries, Doni asked all components in the region to immediately make collaborative efforts in carrying out their operations.

"We want what has been achieved by the Province of West Kalimantan we can maintain. Therefore, this increase in cases must immediately find a solution by collaborating, "said Doni.

"All the needs that the regions cannot prepare will be proposed to the central government," he continued.

Regarding the budget, Doni asked for the implementation to involve BPKP, from planning to operations. This is intended so that it does not occur or cause losses to the state.

"Here there is also a provincial BPKB from the center who will work together to guard it. So, starting from the planning process to the operation, BPKP must guard it so that there is no loss to the state, "said Doni.