After Being Reprimanded By Coordinating Minister Luhut, Bali Governor Asks Regent To Add COVID-19 Tracking Officers

Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut and Wayan Koster (PHOTO VIA BETWEEN)

DENPASAR - Bali Governor Wayan Koster asked the regents/mayors in the area to add more officers for tracing and testing for COVID-19.

This order is one of the efforts to control the spread of new cases of COVID-19 which has spiked sharply on the Island of the Gods.

"The Regent/Mayor should add tracing, testing, and swab officers. The Joint Team of Dandim, Police Chief and health workers and students/volunteers will carry out tracing and testing of residents on the spot with PCR or antigen swabs," said Koster in Denpasar, quoted by Antara, Friday. , August 13th.

According to him, this is part of the directives conveyed by the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, the Minister of Home Affairs, and the Minister of Health in an evaluation meeting on Thursday, August 12, so that PPKM Level 4 in Bali runs more optimally.

For tracing and testing COVID-19 for residents who have close contact, a minimum of 10 close contacts for each new case.

Meanwhile, for family members in one house there are cases of COVID-19, then all family members in the same house and closest family are required to follow tracing and testing, and are not allowed to do activities outside the house.

"New COVID-19 positive residents will be immediately picked up by the Dandim and Polres to be taken to a centralized isolation/quarantine place or residents can take the initiative to a place determined by the district/city.

In addition, Koster asked the regent/mayor to add data input and health workers and increase the opening hours of the puskesmas. This is so that all daily case data can be entered into the system until it is completed, there should not be any remaining daily cases that are inputted.

"I ask the ranks of the regional government, Kodam IX/Udayana, the Bali Police, and other parties to work hard together, work together, synergize, and collaborate in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic," he said.

Until this Friday, the addition of daily COVID-19 cases in Bali Province was still high. Even the addition of new cases today recorded the highest record of 1,910 people with details of 1,504 people via local transmission, 394 domestic travelers (PPDN) and 12 overseas travelers (PPLN).

Cumulatively, the number of confirmed COVID-19 positive cases in Bali to date is 93,161 people.

Likewise, the number of deaths due to COVID-19 today also recorded a record high of 51 people, bringing the cumulative number of deaths from COVID-19 in Bali to 2,630 people (2.82 percent).

Today, it was reported that an additional 2,124 people had recovered, or cumulatively, patients who had recovered from COVID-19 became 78,204 people (83.94 percent). Meanwhile, the number of active cases as of Friday was 12,327 people (13.23 percent).

Luhut Monitors Bali

The Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment (Menko Marves) Luhut Pandjaitan previously made a working visit to the island of Bali to review the handling of COVID-19.

Coordinating Minister Luhut said that vaccination in Bali was good enough to reach 90 percent. Then, the handling of centralized isolation (Isoter) such as in Buleleng, Bali, is also quite good because hundreds of people affected by COVID-19 have been discharged or recovered.

"Secondly, the issue of isoters is so that as many of those who are affected as possible enter the isoters. Because in Buleleng, several hundred have been discharged, not one has died," said Luhut, in Denpasar, Bali, Thursday, August 12.

However, for Bali what is still lacking is a matter of tracing and testing the community and that must be a concern.

"Indeed, testing and tracing are still lacking in Bali, so this is something that must be considered. Bali is now 90 percent vaccinated, it should be good but this is still stagnant and has not gone down (COVID-19 cases). We have seen the team here for a few days," he explained.

Coordinating Minister Luhut emphasized that isoters are the key to inhibiting the spread of COVID-19 cases in Bali. Isoters can also reduce the occurrence of family clusters.

"One issue isoter is the key. So, how did as many as possible enter into the isoter so that it reduces the clusters in the family. Secondly, religious events are temporarily suppressed. If there are 1,200 get-togethers, it's a new cluster," he said. .