The Ministry of Health has implemented a health monitoring procedure for Hajj pilgrims returning to Indonesia to prevent the transmission of COVID-19.
According to a press release issued by the ministry’s public relations bureau, which was accessed from here on Wednesday, in the first phase, 4,765 Hajj pilgrims will return to Indonesia on July 15 and 16, 2022, from King Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Head of the Hajj Health Center of the ministry, Budi Sylvana, said that amid the COVID-19 pandemic situation, pilgrims arriving in the country will be monitored through the implementation of quarantine and applicable COVID-19 health protocols.
“For pilgrims arriving in the country, health screening will be carried out upon arrival at the international airports for debarkation,” he said.
The health screening will include body temperature checks, symptom checks, and health monitoring at debarkation points.
According to Sylvana, if the pilgrims show symptoms of fever or show the potential for contracting infectious diseases, further examination and antigen testing will be carried out. If the results are reactive, then further examination will be carried out through RT-PCR testing.
Those who test positive and show mild or no symptoms will be referred to isolation centers, he informed. Meanwhile, those with moderate or severe symptoms will be referred to COVID-19 referral hospitals, he added.
Pilgrims who are declared healthy upon arrival and after observation at Hajj dormitories will be allowed to return to their homes and asked to carry out self-quarantine and monitor their health for the next 21 days.
“Pilgrims will be given Hajj Pilgrims Health Alert Cards (K3JH) and will be monitored by the local health offices,” he said.
The Ministry of Health has also prepared health command posts at airports to offer outpatient, emergency, and referral services.
In addition, it has readied ambulances and health workers as part of anticipatory measures against infectious diseases and prepared a health surveillance system for pilgrims in collaboration with the Health Offices of districts and cities.
Source: Antara News