VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Mar. 1 - Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin has asked local governments to intensify testing, tracing, and treatment as part of measures to reduce the rate of transmission of COVID-19.

"The target is to reduce the rate of transmission of COVID-19. To reduce the rate of transmission, we need to increase testing, tracing, and treatment," Gunadi stated during a working visit to community health centers (Puskesmas) of Bambanglipuro, Bantul regency, Yogyakarta on Monday.

Encouraging Puskesmas to accelerate testing, tracing, and treatment, he said such steps are essential and can be carried out in cooperation with health workers, the national army, and police as well as local communities.

"So we need to identify who is infected. After people who are infected with COVID-19 are found, they must be isolated immediately so that they do not spread (the virus) to other people," he stated.

If people who are infected with COVID-19 can be treated immediately, the potential increase in cases can be curtailed, he stressed.

"If one person is infected, don't let him pass it on to other people because that would be dangerous," he said.

It is important to pursue strategies so that COVID-19 patients recover quickly, he added. Providing vaccines so that people can avoid infection is also an important strategy, he noted.

However, preventing the spread of COVID-19 by increasing testing, tracing, and treatment is the most important step as soon as a COVID-19 case is identified, he said.

"Then, getting used to wearing a mask, maintaining distance, and washing hands is also important to prevent transmission of COVID-19," the minister added.  (Antaranews)