Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Jakarta Metropolitan Police have extended the enforcement of the Ketupat Jaya until May 31, as 476 homeward-bound travelers heading to the capital city are ailing from symptoms of COVID-19.
Some 476 homeward-bound travelers heading to Jakarta have, until now, received positive antigen test results, Jakarta Police Chief Insp. Gen. Fadil Imran revealed here on Monday.
The Ketupat Jaya is an annual operation conducted by the police to secure homeward-bound travelers after celebrating the Eid al-Fitr festivity in their hometowns.
The homeward-bound travelers, who tested positive for the coronavirus disease, had been sent to the Wisma Atlet Kemayoran emergency hospital and other health facilities for quarantine.
"Some 75 of the 476 homeward-bound travelers have been sent to Jakarta's COVID-19 emergency hospital at the Wisma Atlet Kamayoran," Imran remarked.
To contain a hike in new COVID-19 cases in the aftermath of the Eid al-Fitr holiday season, the Ketupat Jaya, which ended on May 18, was extended until May 31, he stated.
To this end, 14 checkpoints had been set up, he told journalists after addressing the police's security and public order officers (Bhabinkamtibmas) at JIExpo in Kemayoran.
The checkpoints offer free antigen tests to homeward-bound travelers that failed to present their COVID-19 free certificates to police officers.
The checkpoints are set up at the KM 34B Cibatu's parking area of the Cikampek-Jakarta toll road as well as Kebon Nanas and Jatiuwung in Tangerang City, among others.
The novel coronavirus disease outbreak initially struck the Chinese city of Wuhan in 2019 and thereafter spread to various parts of the world, including countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Indonesian government announced the country's first confirmed 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.
To break the chain of transmission of COVID-19, which has impacted the purchasing power of scores of families in Indonesia, the government also banned homebound travel, or "mudik," ahead of this year's Eid al-Fitr holiday season akin to last year.
Indonesia's total number of COVID-19 cases has almost exceeded 1.8 million amid the government's serious endeavors to win the fight against the pandemic that has acutely impacted its economy and public health.
As part of its efforts to win the fight, the Indonesian government has begun a nationwide vaccination program to contain infections since January 13, 2021.
The Indonesian Health Ministry had pegged the vaccination of some 181.5 million people under the national program to take about 15 months.
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