jpnn.com, JAKARTA - The government has responded quickly to the new variant of Covid-19 that was spreading in a number of countries.
Java-Bali community activity restrictions (PPKM) coordinator Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan elaborated on the new variant, Omicron.
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These are five facts you should know about the Omicron variant.
1. It contains 50 Covid-19 mutations
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Luhut explained that the Omicron variant contained 50 mutations that affected the speed of transmission.
The government has detected Omicron's ability to evade the antibodies formed by the vaccine.
2. WHO defines it as a variant of concern
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According to Luhut, the World Health Organization (WHO) is still researching Omicron.
"WHO has upgraded the status of the variant to a variant of concern and named the new variant as the Omicron variant," Luhut said at a press conference on Sunday (28/11).
3. Dozens of countries have been affected
Luhut said that so far, 13 countries had detected and confirmed probable cases of the Omicron variant.
"They include South Africa and Botswana, Germany, Belgium, England, Israel, Australia, and Hong Kong. Looking at the distribution of these countries, we cannot rule out the possibility that this Omicron variant has spread to more countries," said Luhut.
4. The government immediately anticipates the entry of Omicron into the country
The government immediately took a stand by starting a policy to banish Omicron.
Indonesia prohibits entry of foreigners who have a travel history of 14 days to countries such as South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mozambique, Eswatini, Malawi, Angola, Zambia, and Hong Kong.
"This policy will be enforced within 24 hours. The ban will last for 14 days," Luhut explained.
Indonesian citizens who return to their homeland from those countries will undergo quarantine for 14 days.
The government will also increase the quarantine time for foreigners and Indonesian citizens traveling from abroad outside the countries listed.
"It's going to be seven days from the previous three days. This quarantine policy will be implemented starting November 29 at midnight," said Luhut.
5. The list of countries prohibited from entering Indonesia is being closely monitored
Luhut said the list of existing countries could increase or decrease based on evaluations that would be carried out periodically.
The Ministry of Health will carry out genomic sequencing, especially for positive cases from overseas travel.
"We will see the development of this variant in the next two weeks. Good cooperation with the international community is very much needed," said Luhut. (mcr10/mcr20/jpnn)
This news has been broadcast on JPNN.com with the title: 5 Fakta yang Perlu Diketahui soal Varian Omicron, Nomor 2 Bikin Resah