Central Government Stops Financing Hotel Isolation For OTG COVID-19 Patients, This Is DKI's Strategy To Deal With It

Jakarta Deputy Governor Ahmad Riza Patria (Photo: DOK VOI/Rizky Adytia)

JAKARTA - Deputy Governor of DKI Jakarta Ahmad Riza Patria said that the DKI Provincial Government would consult with the DKI Representative Council (DPRD) regarding financing the isolation of COVID-19 patients and lodging accommodations for health workers.

This is because the central government has stopped financing hotel isolation for patients with the category of asymptomatic people (OTG) in Jakarta.

"Against the wishes of the central government through the National Board for Disaster Management (BNPB) for us to prepare and finance. Of course, later, we will consider it with the DPRD, we will discuss how far we have sufficient funding capacity", said Riza at DKI City Hall, Central Jakarta, Thursday, June 10.

Currently, the Governor of DKI Jakarta Anies Baswedan has prepared isolation locations and replacement accommodations in a number of guesthouses, sports halls, and schools.

"In principle, the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government will continue to make every effort according to the existing facilities, capabilities, and financing to continue to pursue various programs in the context of reducing, handling, and controlling COVID-19 in DKI Jakarta", he explained.

As is known, DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan has prepared a number of new COVID-19 patient isolation locations because the central government will stop financing hotel isolation in Jakarta.

This is stated in the Governor's Decree (Kepgub) No. 675 of 2021. The gubernatorial decree signed on May 31, 2021, revoked Kepgub No. 979 of 2020 regarding controlled isolation locations for previous COVID-19 patients.

"With the policy of the National COVID-19 Handling Task Force regarding the termination of financing for hotels, lodging, and guesthouses for confirmed COVID-19 people, both asymptomatic and with mild symptoms, and lodging costs for health workers handling COVID-19 and guaranteeing legal certainty in fulfilling the need for controlled isolation facilities and lodging for health workers, Governor Decree No. 979 of 2020 needs to be changed", Anies said to the Governor's Decree.

This was confirmed by an Officer for Emergency Management of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) Dody Ruswandi. Dody said the financing was stopped because it ran out of budget.

"So far, we have used the BNPB budget, it's just that we ran out of budget yesterday. So we had a meeting, we said try until June 15, we wait, after that, maybe the regional government will pay for it", said Dody.

In addition to running out of budget, it turns out that the BNPB still has a debt of IDR 140 billion to 36 COVID-19 isolation hotels in Jakarta.

"We still owe the hotel. (The isolation fee) specifically for Jakarta is IDR 200.711.910.000 and we have just paid a bailout of IDR 60 billion", said Dody.