KOMPAS.com – The Indonesian government has stepped up the efforts to monitor the spread of coronavirus in the country after it detected 10 confirmed cases of a new coronavirus variant, which was first found in India.
Indonesian anti-terror police from Detachment 88 (Densus 88) arrested Munarman, former secretary-general of the now-defunct militant group Islamic Defenders Front or known by its acronym FPI. The police raided his house in South Tangerang near the capital Jakarta, while FPI’s headquarters in Central Jakarta was under investigation after the police seized explosive chemicals.
Below are excerpts from the stories in Indonesia, curated by Kompas.com editors:
Indian Covid-19 Variant Detected in Indonesia, Says Health Minister
Indonesia has detected 10 confirmed cases of a new coronavirus variant, which was first found in India, a top Indonesian health official said on Monday, April 26.
“The new Covid-19 variant that has fueled a surge of cases in India has been found in Indonesia. Ten people have contracted the aforementioned Covid variant,” Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin told a streamed news conference.
Budi, however, did not specifically mention which variant underwent a mutation. He only said that of the 10 people who contracted the mutant Covid variant, six of them contracted it from abroad.
“Meanwhile, four people are infected via local transmission. We need to prevent this virus [from spreading],” Budi said, adding that two cases were found in Sumatera and one case in West Java and South Kalimantan, respectively.
The government has stepped up the efforts to carry out surveillance in the areas. “We are on high alert, monitoring the spread of the new variant,” Budi said.