VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

A health worker tests migrant workers for COVID-19 upon their arrival at the Batam Centre International Port. (ANTARA/ HO-Korem 033/WP) - 

The COVID-19 Handling Task Force said it has tightened monitoring of sea travelers in border areas ever since Indonesian migrant workers returning from Malaysia via Batam, Riau Islands were found carrying fake coronavirus test results.

"Entry tests (against COVID-19) for everyone who come, mostly Indonesian migrant workers from Malaysia and Singapore is a must," deputy for emergency management at the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), Maj. Gen. Fajar Setyawan, said in a statement issued here on Thursday.

The task force is also ensuring that the travelers undergo quarantine to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant, he added.

"We will also add new quarantine places," Setyawan said during a coordination meeting with Riau Islands Governor Anshar Ahmad to discuss the finding of fake RT-PCR test documents.

Batam is one of the entry gates to Indonesia via sea, with at least 250 people on average arriving at the port from Singapore and Malaysia every day, Setyawan said.

Currently, Batam has quarantine facilities with 2,712 beds, but it requires 2,750 beds, he added.

"The fact is that there are more PMI (migrant workers) arrivals than non-PMI, and hotels are less used (as quarantine sites) than state-owned facilities," he added.

According to the task force, the bed occupancy rate at quarantine facilities for migrant workers, students, and civil servants in Batam has reached 95 percent, while the rate in hotels is just 32 percent.

Until now, the task force has not detected Omicron infection among international travelers arriving in the city, Setyawan said.

Meanwhile, spokesperson for the COVID-19 Task Force, Wiku Adisasmito, said the government is trying to prevent coronavirus transmission by tightening control over border-cross traffic by sea, as many Indonesian workers use sea routes to return from neighboring countries.

"The addition of quarantine beds is also a priority for the government at this time to anticipate an increase in arrivals during the Christmas and New Year holidays," he added.

In December, 353 people tested positive for COVID-19, almost double compared to the previous month, when infections were recorded at 168, Adisasmito said//ANT