TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Head of the West Java transportation agency Hery Antasari - who is also the COVID-19 task force public facility sterilization member - said on Wednesday that the provincial administration will hold massive rapid tests across two commuter line (KRL) stations in Bogor City.

“Tha plan is to hold the tests on Friday, June 26, at the peak arrival hours from Jakarta into West Java,” said Hery Antasari on Wednesday’s press conference.

The massive rapid tests held by the national COVID-19 task force will be backed by joint personnel from the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) and National Police (Polri) at the Bogor Station and Bojonggede Station that are both located in Bogor City.

The main reason the joint team chose the two locations is that Jakarta and its greater area (Jabodetabek) are still considered as the national epicenter of COVID-19 spread and the failure to contain the spread will worsen the situation in West Java, which is already showing a positive trend in breaking the chain of coronavirus.

However, due to the scale of the operation, the national task force decided to utilize rapid test kits rather than swab test kits that were used in Bogor and Bekasi a couple of weeks back.

“We will apply a sampling system and take 1,000 up to 1,200 samples from the rapid tests. The ones that come back reactive will be followed-up by swab tests,” said Hery Antasari.

In terms of supply, the West Java Health Agency said it has sufficient supplies of 29,000 rapid test units, 13,000 swab test kits, and PCR, and RNI reagents.

Read also: Jokowi Launches Indonesian-made Covid-19 Rapid Test Kits

AHMAD FIKRI