Central Java Health Office Ensures COVID-19 Cases In Blora Are Not Face-to-Face Learning Clusters

Illustration/UNSPLASH

SEMARANG - Head of the Central Java Provincial Health Office, Yulianto Prabowo, confirmed that the findings of COVID-19 cases in several schools in Blora Regency were not clusters of face-to-face learning (PTM).

"The COVID cases in the eight schools were found through 'screening' before the PTM was implemented", he said in Semarang, quoted by Antara, Tuesday, September 21.

The Central Java Health Office appreciates the steps taken by the Blora Regency Government in welcoming the implementation of PTM, namely by conducting "screening" first of teachers and students.

"In fact, we appreciate Blora, eight schools are conducting 'screening' (before PTM, ed.), and found around 40 cases. So, it is not a school cluster because the infection is not in schools", he said.

However, the Central Java Health Office does not deny that it has received reports of clusters in schools such as the one in one MTs in the Jepara Regency.

"There is a report from Jepara, there is one school where after the 'screening' there are students who are positive about 25 students (and three teachers) and all of them are asymptomatic", he said.

All those who tested positive for COVID-19 have been isolated, even some of them have recovered and school activities are closed again.

"The positive ones are isolated, as well as 'tracing' and 'testing'. All of them are OTG and many have recovered", he said.

Meanwhile, the Governor of Central Java, Ganjar Pranowo, admitted that he immediately coordinated with the Regent of Blora to ensure that it was related to the findings of the case.

"I checked in Blora, contacted the regent and I was relieved that the cluster there was because the PTM preparations were tested first. That's good. Yes, there are SMK, MTs, SD, and SMP, this is complete", he said.

What's interesting, said Ganjar, is that all of them are parents, meaning teachers, so all heads of the Education Office must check to make sure the teachers themselves have the awareness to be healthy.

"Otherwise this is dangerous, several incidents of MTs in Jepara were detected 28 people, 25 students, and three teachers. I communicated with the Ministry of Religion to close it. Don't let us give a failed stamp", he said.