Gibran Prepares Child-Centered COVID-19 Isolation: We Give Luxury Homes

ILLUSTRATION/UNSPLASH

SOLO - Surakarta Mayor Gibran Rakabuming Raka seeks to provide better facilities for child-centred isolation following the large number of COVID-19 clusters in face-to-face learning activities (PTM).

"This is more focused on children, later on technically, Pak Sekda and BPBD (Regional Disaster Management Agency)," he said in Solo, quoted by Antara, Thursday, October 28.

Gibran ensured that there was no assistance from parents for children undergoing centralized isolation.

"Only the sick are isolated. So the facilities will be more child-friendly, we are more humane. We give a nice place, a luxurious house," he said.

The Surakarta City Government has prepared Ndalem Priyosuhartan, which is located on Jalan Perintis Kemerdekaan No. 70 Bumi, Laweyan District as a centralized isolation place for children.

Ndalem Priyosuhartan himself had previously functioned as an isolation place for COVID-19 OTG patients at the beginning of last year's pandemic.

Head of BPBD Surakarta Nico Agus Putranto said that for centralized isolation facilities between children and adults are almost the same, only for children there are additional facilities in the form of WiFi and television.

"Later on what kind of management model is still waiting from the Health Office, what kind of model we haven't got the technical instructions for. For now, we are just preparing the facilities and infrastructure," he said.

According to Nico, 41 beds have been prepared at the centralized isolation location. Some rooms are also equipped with an en suite bathroom.

"Besides the private bathroom, there will also be a portable toilet. Rooms for boys and girls are separate," he said.

Asked about when the operation of the centralized isolation location will be, he could not provide any information considering that he is currently waiting for directions from the Surakarta City Health Office (DKK).

"Including who goes there, the instructions will follow DKK later," he said.