JAYAPURA - Minister of Youth and Sports (Menpora) Zainudin Amali straightened out the circulating issue which stated that seven athletes who were identified as positive for COVID-19 had fled from quarantine or isolation.

"There is information that as many as seven people seem to have run away. But that's not the truth. Because if you want to get on the plane, there must be a letter, at least the antigen. So those who left have already been given an antigen," said Zainudin at the Mandala Stadium, Jayapura, quoted Between, Tuesday, October 12.

Menpora said the delay in the results of the PCR tests carried out by the seven athletes was due to the lack of facilities for the PCR lab in Papua. Meanwhile, there are a lot of people who do PCR for the sake of returning to their area of origin.

Zainudin assessed that the case of late PCR results would occur again after the Papua PON event because many people would return from Earth of Cendrawasih.

"The results from the PCR were late after they were there. Why is it late, because we really lack facilities for the PCR lab," said Zainuddin.

"I also predict that this kind of thing will happen again later, because many will pile up at the end of this PON, but hopefully not," he continued.

Therefore, Menpora Zainudin reiterated that the seven athletes did not escape from quarantine but were late for the issuance of the PCR results.

"So once again, it should be noted that they did not run away. They already have a letter, if not, it is impossible for them to get on the plane, but because the results of the PCR test were late, they could only be known there," he said.

Some time ago there was an issue that said that there were Papuan PON athletes who escaped from quarantine and went by plane to their hometowns.

The seven athletes are known to come from Tarakan, North Kalimantan, as many as one person; Jambi two people; Sidoarjo, East Java, as many as three people; and one other athlete from Yogyakarta.


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