3 S’poreans Test Positive For Covid-19 After Visiting Batam, 15 Close Contacts Quarantined On Resort Island

Indonesia Tests 15 People Quarantined On Batam For Covid-19, They Remain Physically Well

While the Covid-19 outbreak in Singapore is showing signs of slowing down, there continues to be new cases being reported every day.

Coincidentally, there appears to be some commonalities in these cases.

Of the 8 cases reported from 29 Feb to 1 Mar, 3 of them had travel history to the resort island of Batam.

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In response, Indonesian authorities have stepped up efforts to curb the spread of the virus, placing 15 natives who came into close contact with the patients on quarantine.

Covid-19 cases 101, 103 & 104 were in Batam from 21-23 Feb

According to 8World News, the Singaporean Covid-19 patients who visited Batam were cases 101, 103, and 104.

All 3 of them visited the island from 21-23 Feb and are linked to case 93 — a 38-year-old man who tested positive for the virus last Thursday (26 Feb).

The 3 Singaporeans reportedly met around 100 people on the island, but the authorities there only quarantined 15 — presumably those who had closer contact with the trio.

The quarantined individuals include a 39-year-old helper, as well as a 33-year-old driver and his relatives. All of them are linked to Case 103 — a 37-year-old female Singaporean who is a family member of Case 93.

Indonesian authorities have already sent test samples from all those quarantined to labs in Jakarta. They will be monitored for a week even if the tests prove negative.

Thankfully, they appear physically well as of now.

In addition to the above measures, the Indonesian authorities are also trying to identify and contact the 108 passengers who were on the same ship as the 3 patients.

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Covid-19 patients from other countries test positive after visiting Indonesia

Apart from the 3 Singaporeans, others from China, Japan, New Zealand, and Malaysia have also tested positive for Covid-19 after leaving Indonesia.

Late last month, a Singaporean man suspected of having Covid-19 also died in Batam.

Indonesian health authorities reported that he died of “another illness” as he tested negative for Covid-19 prior to his death.

However, Tjepjep Yudiana, a health official overseeing the Riau Islands – consisting of Batam – did not rule out the possibility that the test results could’ve been flawed.

On Monday (2 Mar), Indonesia reported its first 2 cases of Covid-19 after being ‘spared’ from the virus even as regional countries detected patients with the new coronavirus.

In the weeks leading up to the discovery, some have also expressed concerns over the alleged absence of Covid-19 cases in the archipelago.

Heartened by Indonesian government’s effort to curb spread of Covid-19

We are heartened by the Indonesian government’s efforts to curb the spread of the virus.

Let’s hope the measures prove effective.

After all, a widespread outbreak in a tourist hotspot like Indonesia can easily have global consequences.

Featured image adapted from Airelatedstor.