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JAKARTA: Indonesian government institutions should establish examples of disciplined health protocols, House Speaker Puan Maharani said, following the emergence of COVID-19 clusters in key ministries.
In a statement on Thursday (September 17), Mdm Maharani said that COVID-19 has spread to 30 ministerial offices and agencies in the capital, according to data from the Jakarta government.
According to the city government’s COVID-19 website, there were 139 cases in the Ministry of Health, 90 in the Ministry of Transport, and 42 in the Ministry of Finance. The data is dated September 7.
“The large number of COVID-19 cases in these office clusters is very concerning.
“Government offices must lead by example by adhering to disciplined health protocols,” said Mdm Maharani.
The president of the parliament asked that the institutions, both nationally and regionally, evaluate and control the implementation of health protocols in their respective offices.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo, dressed in traditional East Nusa Tenggara garb and face mask, walking with the Speaker of the People’s Assembly, Bambang Soesatyo and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Puan Maharani before his speech on the state of the nation at a general assembly in the Jakarta parliament on August 14, 2020 (Photo: AFP / Indonesian Parliament / Brochure)
“Don’t let government offices become a bad example of the implementation of health protocols,” he added.
Since the pandemic hit Indonesia, clusters of COVID-19 have been identified in offices in Jakarta, as well as in industrial zones in the surrounding satellite cities.
In the Bekasi regency east of Jakarta, there have been at least five known clusters of COVID-19 in industrial areas under major multinational corporations.
READ: The return to the Jakarta lockdown will affect the economy this quarter, but the bitter pill must be swallowed, economists say
The disease has also spread within city government, claiming the life of Jakarta’s administration secretary Saefullah, who died at noon on Wednesday after testing positive last week.
Jakarta is currently the epicenter of the pandemic in Indonesia with more than 58,000 cases and 1,400 deaths.
Total cases in Indonesia have exceeded 230,000 COVID-19 cases, with more than 9,200 deaths.
On Monday, a partial lockdown was re-imposed in Jakarta to curb the pandemic.
THERE HAVE ALSO BEEN RECOVERIES: MINISTRY OF HEALTH
When contacted, the general director of disease prevention and control of the Ministry of Health, Achmad Yurianto, acknowledged the detection of COVID-19 cases in the ministry.
There have also been recoveries, he added.
Yurianto, who was previously the spokesperson for the national COVID-19 task force, said the ministry will continue to implement regular health protocols.
He said the air conditioning systems in the ministry buildings were not equipped with high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters, but windows have been left open to ensure good air circulation.
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