Bogor City COVID-19 Task Force Strengthens Tracing To Prevent Spread

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BOGOR - The Bogor City COVID-19 Handling Task Force is strengthening tracing to prevent the spread and at the same time reduce the number of positive cases of COVID-19.

"The task force utilizes all relevant parties to carry out tracing to quickly find close contacts of positive cases. These close contacts are immediately tested and treated. That's the key," said Head of the Bogor City COVID-19 Task Force, Bima Arya, quoted by Antara, Thursday, 5 August.

According to Bima Arya, the task of the tracing officer is not easy. Special skills and systems are needed to be able to find close contact information from residents exposed to COVID-19. "Currently there are 263 tracers in 25 health centers in the city of Bogor," he said.

In addition to officers from the Puskesmas, the COVID-19 Handling Task Force also added tracing personnel from members of the Police and TNI, namely Babinkamtibmas and Babinsa, to carry out the task of tracing close contacts.

Bima explained that the task of tracing officers was also to record close contacts of every citizen exposed to COVID-19, at least getting 15 close contacts.

Close contacts of residents exposed to COVID-19, he said, were immediately tested, then asked to undergo self-isolation. "The results of the evaluation of the handling of COVID-19 in Bogor City will be submitted to the National COVID-19 Handling Task Force," he said.

Meanwhile, the Expert Team of the Bogor City COVID-19 Task Force, Masdalina Pane, said that the number of tracing or tracer personnel in Bogor City was sufficient, it was just a matter of how to manage tracers in the field so that they could work efficiently and systematically.

"The work of the tracer must be improved and optimized so that it can work efficiently and effectively," he said.

Masdalina Pane, who is also a member of the Health Handling Sector, the National COVID-19 Handling Task Force, added that a report will be submitted by the Bogot City COVID-19 Handling Task Force, to improve tracer performance, so that results can be achieved as required by the government.