Tanjungpinang, Riau Islands (ANTARA) – Riau Islands Governor Ansar Ahmad has said that the development of COVID-19 cases in the province has been categorized as safe as the number of daily active cases has continued to fall.
“So far, the addition of COVID-19 cases has almost reached single digits per week. This could be achieved through the acceleration of vaccinations and the tightening of health protocols for the community,” he informed here on Monday.
As of April 17, 2022, only 55 active cases of COVID-19 have been recorded in Riau Islands, with the hospital occupancy rate reaching 4.18 percent and positivity rate 0.40 percent, he said.
Meanwhile, the first dose vaccination coverage in the province has reached 1.7 million or 97 percent of the targeted recipients, the second dose vaccination coverage has touched 1.4 million or 82 percent of the targeted recipients, and the third or booster dose has been provided to 490 thousand people or 35 percent of the target.
“We continue to accelerate vaccinations to reach community immunity against COVID-19,” he affirmed.
He also assured that the provincial government is ready to face the 2022 Eid al-Fitr collective leave days. The government is ready to face a spike in the number of homecomers and tourists, both foreign and local, he added.
In addition, the government will ease travel restrictions to Riau Islands for land, air, and sea transportation.
The governor noted that the entrance to Riau Islands via sea transportation has been made easier as the government has lifted the PCR test requirement for domestic tourists who have received the booster COVID-19 vaccine dose.
According to him, the step has been taken to boost tourist visits to Riau Islands, especially to Bintan, Batam, and Anambas Islands.
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 April 17, Indonesia has recorded a total of 6,039,873 COVID-19 cases, 5,825,729 recoveries, and 155,866 deaths.
Meanwhile, Riau Islands province has so far recorded 70,108 COVID-19 cases, 68,031 recoveries, and 1,877 deaths, as per the task force’s data.
Source: Antara News