Mayor of Yogyakarta Haryadi Suyuti has urged all village heads and officials to monitor the development of COVID-19 cases in their respective areas, including the data of residents self-isolating at home to facilitate their monitoring.

“The data of residents, who are self-isolating (at home), is crucial, so that the village government or the surrounding neighborhood can conduct monitoring,” Suyuti noted here on Wednesday.

The mayor remarked that patients self-isolating at home are obliged to stay disciplined in complying with health protocols and not interacting with others to prevent transmission of the virus.

Suyuti urged residents to not hesitate to report to officials in the area, especially the heads of their neighborhood units (RT), if they tested positive for COVID-19.

“Do not be fearful or ashamed to report. Do not be afraid that others will shun you because of COVID-19 exposure. Other residents will help,” he remarked.

Suyuti admitted that residents exposed to COVID-19 still faced negative stigma from people. As a result, some COVID-19-positive patients opted to not report their status.

“In fact, it could increase the likelihood for wider transmission,” he stated.

Suyuti stated that the Yogyakarta city government is currently operating two integrated isolation centers in towers 1 and 2 of the Bener low-cost apartment for patients, who cannot self-isolate at home due to various reasons, such as inadequate house conditions.

The first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Indonesia in March 2020. According to data from the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, as of March 2, 2022, Indonesia had recorded a total of 5,630,096 COVID-19 cases, 4,944,237 recoveries, and 149,036 deaths.

The Ministry of Health detected the first Omicron case in Indonesia on December 15, 2021. With the spread of the new variant, Indonesia has recorded a significant increase in the number of COVID-19 cases.

Source: Antara News