After the country's first case of the omicron version of the coronavirus was discovered in a cleaning worker at a hospital in Jakarta, Indonesian President Joko Widodo warned citizens and government officials to avoid visiting abroad.

The patient is being isolated in the Athlete's Village emergency hospital, where the person worked, because he or she exhibits no symptoms.
In March 2020, the government opened the hospital to treat COVID-19 patients and serve as a quarantine facility for Indonesians returning from overseas.

 

The illness was confirmed on Wednesday, according to Indonesian Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin, who asked people to continue to follow prescribed measures, such as wearing masks and keeping a safe distance.

He also urged for more testing and for the country's vaccination programme to be accelerated.

"I advise individuals and state officials to refrain from travelling abroad until the crisis decreases," President Joko Widodo said at a press conference later Thursday.

 

As of Wednesday, Indonesia had registered over 4.2 million COVID-19 cases and over 143,000 deaths.
It peaked at 56,757 instances per day in July, as hospitals were overrun by sick patients and ran out of beds and oxygen supplies.

 

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An illness with no symptoms.