TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said almost 90 percent of Omicron variant cases originated from overseas travel. He made the statement when attending the launching event of the quarantine monitoring application dubbed 'Presisi' developed by the police.

According to him, the mobile app helps to tighten supervision of the traffic of international travelers in order to prevent the entry of the highly contagious coronavirus variant.

“The monitoring app is very helpful and really disciplines our people and also reduces people arriving from abroad because almost 90 percent of Omicron transmissions originate from overseas travel,” said Luhut in his statement, Thursday, January 6.

He emphasized that all elements must work together to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Apart from the police, other institutions such as the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) have been playing a significant role.

“We don't need to be overly paranoid, but we must stay vigilant,” said Luhut.

Indonesia has detected a total of 254 Omicron variant cases of COVID-19 as of Tuesday, January 4. Most of them, or 239 cases, were imported ones from the international arrivals, while the rest were local transmissions.

Read: Home Affairs Ministry Asks Jakarta to Delay Overseas Duties amid Omicron Rise

FRANCISCA CHRISTY ROSANA