Jakarta (ANTARA) - Communication and Informatics Minister Johnny G Plate appealed to the public to not panic but stay calm and follow the health protocols after the first case of the Omicron COVID-19 variant was reported in Indonesia.
“The government, through the Health Ministry, has announced the finding of the Omicron variant of concern (voc) in Indonesia. As we know, (the new variant) spreads very fast," he said.
In responding to this, the public will hopefully not panic, Plate said in a written statement that ANTARA received in Jakarta on Thursday.
"Stay calm, stay vigilant, adhere to health protocols, and get full vaccination. Also help the government strengthen the implementation of 3Ts (testing, tracing, and treatment),” he said.
Plate further appealed to the public to refrain from unnecessary mobility and going on non-essential trips ahead of the Christmas and New Year celebrations.
He reminded the public to always follow the suggestions of health experts in relation to health protocols.
If people follow the health protocols properly and stay disciplined, they will be able to prevent the SARS-CoV-2 virus from infecting human beings, he said.
In addition, residents who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 should get vaccinated soon so that if they are exposed to the virus they will not suffer serious symptoms that will have a detrimental effect on their health, he added.
Earlier, Minister Sadikin had said that three workers at Wisma Atlet were confirmed positive for COVID-19 on December 8, 2021. On December 10, 2021, whole-genome sequencing testing was carried out and the result on December 15, 2021, showed the presence of the Omicron variant in one of the three samples, he informed.
The minister said the worker with the Omicron infection showed no symptoms.
Additionally, five cases of possible Omicron infection were also detected, Sadikin said. Two of the suspected patients are currently quarantined at Wisma Atlet, he informed. They are Indonesian citizens who recently returned from the United States and the United Kingdom, he said.
The other three suspected patients are foreign nationals from China who visited Manado, the minister said. They are currently undergoing quarantine in Manado, North Sulawesi, he added.