4 Indian crew members tested positive for COVID-19 in Dumai, Swab samples were sent to Jakarta

Illustration: Medical officer at the arrival terminal of Bandar Sri Junjungan Dumai Port in Dumai, Riau. (Photo: Aswaddy Hamid/Antara)

JAKARTA - Four Indian citizens who were part of the 22 crew members of the state-flagged ship that docked at Dumai Port on April 27, 2021, positive for COVID-19, said the Riau Province COVID-19 Response Task Force.

The four Indian crew members tested positive for exposure to the new coronavirus after they underwent a swab test from medical personnel, said a spokesman of Riau Province COVID-19 Response Task Force, dr. Indra Yovi in Pekanbaru, Tuesday.

Previously, the captain had also tested positive for COVID-19 with a condition that was "going severe". The person concerned has also received special treatment at a hospital in Pekanbaru City, he said.

The health conditions of the four crew members are still relatively light, so they are only asked to carry out independent isolation onboard the ship under the monitoring of the medical team, said Indra Yovi.

"You know for yourself how the medical team struggled. Dressed in hazmat clothes, they went up and down the ladder of the ship. But, in any case, this is a task. It is our duty to provide help to anyone and wherever they come from", he said.

Regarding the results of the ship captain's swab test from India, the relevant authorities have sent it to Jakarta as part of a preventive measure for the spread of the new variant of the COVID-19 virus.

"Because our laboratory has not been able to detect a new variant of the virus. Therefore, the sample was sent to Jakarta", he said.

In recent weeks, India has experienced an increase in new cases of COVID-19, which has reached more than 400 thousand per day. In the midst of this health crisis, a new coronavirus mutation, known as variant B 1617, also emerged.