VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

A medical team transports a patient to the isolation ward of the Dr. Kariadi General Hospital (RSUP) during a simulation of a novel coronavirus outbreak in Semarang, Central Java, on Jan. 30. (ANTARA)

Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo has announced that two more people have tested positive for COVID-19, raising the province’s current tally to four confirmed cases.

The administration had previously reported one confirmed case and one death in Surakarta.

“We’ve been monitoring the situation in Central Java. Today, we’ve identified confirmed COVID-19 cases in Central Java. There are two cases: one in Semarang and another in Magelang,” Ganjar said during a press conference on Sunday, adding that the respective patients were being treated at the Dr. Kariadi General Hospital in Semarang and the Tidar General Hospital in Magelang.

He went on to say that the confirmed cases were Indonesian nationals.

The Semarang case is a 63-year-old female, and the Magelang case is a 36-year-old female, according to the governor.

“The two patients have been handled in accordance with the established procedure. [They] are in normal condition and have been recovering. We have instructed hospitals and the Health Agency to conduct contact-tracing on the patients,” Ganjar added.

Central Java Health Agency head Yulianto Prabowo said the agency had conducted contact tracing on the two new cases. Preliminary results showed that the Semarang case had recently visited Bali, he said.

“Meanwhile, the Magelang case has just returned from Malaysia,” Yulianto said.

Ganjar called on the public to assist the local administration in gathering information regarding the spread of COVID-19 throughout the province.

“We have set up a call center for members of the public who wish to pass on information,” Ganjar said.

The local administration has taken several anticipatory measures to mitigate the impact of the public health emergency, he said. Such measures included encouraging social distancing and urging the public to stay home as much as possible.

As of Monday, Indonesia had reported 117 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with five deaths. The spread of the novel coronavirus prompted regional heads in a number of areas, including Jakarta, Banten and West Java, to temporarily close schools and public areas in an effort to contain the virus. (The Jakarta Post)