Locally Made GeNose Covid-19 Detector Available at Indonesia’s Airports in April

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Indonesia’s Transportation Ministry will begin to use GeNose, a locally made Covid-19 detector, at the country’s airports starting from April 1, an official said on Tuesday, February 23.

The screening tool to detect the coronavirus through human breath has already been used in train stations in the country following the recent approval by the Ministry of Health.

“For the air transportation sector, it will be implemented on April 1 as some technical matters still need to be discussed further,” Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi told a virtual press conference.

Also read: Local Covid-19 Detector to be Used as Main Screening Tool in Indonesia

He has also coordinated with the Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan.

Budi also instructed the ministry’s director general for Air Transportation Novie Riyanto to immediately prepare the regulations to support the plan.

The minister said that the use of the screening tool, which was developed by experts from Yogyakarta-based Gadjah Mada University (UGM), was well-received in the railroad sector. This could be a good lesson for stakeholders in the air transportation sector.

Also read: Indonesian Government Urged to Step Up Covid-19 Vaccine Drive

“The GeNose screening tool was well-received by train passengers and the stakeholders in the sea and air transportation sector are also interested in it,” he said.

It was reported that GeNose has been used in eight train stations in Java Provinces such as Senen and Gambir Stations in Jakarta, Bandung, Cirebon, Semarang’s Tawang, Solo Balapan, Yogyakarta’s Tugu, and Surabaya’s Pasar Turi.

State-owned railroad operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia or KAI reported that a total of 63,523 train passengers have used the GeNose for their travel requirement.

(Writer: Rully R. Ramli | Editor: Yoga Sukmana)

Source: https://money.kompas.com/read/2021/02/24/062238426/layanan-tes-genose-tersedia-di-bandara-mulai-1-april-2021.