The Yogyakarta City COVID-19 Handling Task Force confirmed three additional positive cases of COVID-19 from limited face-to-face learning (PTM) activities based on the results of random tests that were conducted.
“Three cases were found in three different schools. We will immediately follow up to trace the close contacts,” Head of the Yogyakarta COVID-19 Handling Task Force Heroe Poerwadi stated on Friday.
The three students confirmed positive did not show any symptoms of illness and were immediately requested to undergo isolation, he informed.
The three schools are also temporarily closed for tracing. The Yogyakarta COVID-19 Task Force will continue with testing to prevent the likelihood of wider transmission.
“From now on, teaching and learning activities in those three schools are fully returned online,” Perwadi remarked.
Earlier, four students from the same school had tested positive for COVID-19.
Of these cases, 79 close contacts were examined through antigen rapid test and showed negative results.
“We will repeat the test with PCR next week. Hopefully, it would show negative results again,” Poerwadi remarked.
Poerwadi, who is also the Yogyakarta deputy mayor, noted that his administration was actively conducting COVID-19 examination for students and teachers in schools with PTM.
“We do not wait to examine sick students or teachers, but we are actively conducting random tests,” he expounded.
In the first stage, the local government has targeted to test 17 schools from elementary, junior high, and high schools to vocational schools in Yogyakarta, with a total target of 2,050 samples.
Testing was conducted in 14 schools, with more than 1,500 samples collected and seven confirmed positive cases.
“The number of positive cases is still relatively low and with low transmission because results from tracing the close contacts have shown negative results,” he noted.
The random COVID-19 tests conducted at 17 schools are targeted to be completed on November 30 and will be continued in the next stage to test those from other schools in the city.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chairman of Commission D of the Yogyakarta Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) Krisnadi stated that in order to prevent transmission, schools were urged to stringently implement health protocols during limited PTM.
“For instance, PTM in elementary school must be limited to grade 6 only since those from their age bracket were allowed to receive the vaccination. Schools should not increase learning hours in PTM,” he remarked.
He also suspected that the positive cases arising from the limited PTM were due to the students’ parents.
“This is because adults had higher mobility than children. The students might become infected from their parents,” he added.
Source: Antara News