Surabaya, E Java (ANTARA) - East Java has quarantined 3,829 homebound travelers arriving from abroad and other parts of the country at observation centers across the province, according to the provincial COVID-19 task force.
"Majority of the travelers have arrived in East Java from several COVID-19 red zones outside the province and foreign countries," Khofifah Indar Parawansa, the governor of East Java and the head of the province's COVID-19 task force, said here on Thursday.
Those arriving in East Java from red zones and abroad are being quarantined in certain places across the province.
There are 7,387 villages and neighborhoods in East Java which have set up observation rooms, where homebound travelers can be quarantined for 14 days. The rooms have been set up as part of the local authorities' efforts to break the chain of coronavirus transmission, the Governor said.
As of April 29, 2020, East Java has reported 871 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 2,986 patients under monitoring and 19,051 people under surveillance, Parawansa said, adding that the province has so far identified 35 red zones.
Areas in East Java which have seen no confirmed cases are the districts of Ngawi and Sampang, as well as Madiun City, the Governor added.
The coronavirus outbreak was initially reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of 2019. Since then, it has spread to at least 202 countries and territories, including Indonesia, with a massive spurt in the death toll.
The Indonesian Government confirmed the country's first COVID-19 cases on March 2, 2020.
Since then, the central and regional governments have made persistent efforts to flatten the coronavirus curve by imposing healthcare protocols and social restrictions.
The central government has also banned homebound travel, locally known as 'mudik', during the fasting month of Ramadhan and the Idul Fitri holiday season.
As of April 29, the government has recorded 9,771 confirmed COVID-19 cases across the country. While 1,391 patients have been discharged from hospital after making a full recovery, 7,596 others remain hospitalized. The death toll from the virus has touched 784. (INE)
Related news: Indonesia channels spirit of 'gotong royong' in COVID-19 battle
Related news: Police intensify patrol to preserve public order amid pandemic
EDITED BY INE
