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THE INDONESIAN Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) has dismissed reports of manipulation by hotel managers in the COVID-19 test process for foreign travellers (PPLN) who are in quarantine.
This was conveyed following the emergence of quarantine mafia reports on foreign nationals. The quarantine game surfaced after the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno uploaded a tourist report from Ukraine via his Instagram account @sandiuno on January 29, 2022.
The tourist said that he faced problems with the PCR test when he was going on vacation to Bali, after going through a quarantine process at a hotel in Jakarta. On the last day of quarantine, the tourist who also brought his daughter received a positive result of COVID-19.
“The hotel [name changed] did not allow us to re-test the PCR outside, so that it could show that the test results were correct. This is very unfair. We are asymptomatic and the extra cost for isolation is very expensive. We feel cheated,” the traveler wrote uploaded by the Minister of Sandiaga.
Sandiaga then said that the problem had been resolved after the Ukrainian tourist underwent a retest. On the other hand, the COVID-19 Task Force also issued a new policy regarding the COVID-19 comparison test. PPLNs are allowed to conduct comparative tests outside designated health facilities, namely outside the Police Hospital, Gatot Subroto Army Hospital, and Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital.
Meanwhile, PHRI Secretary General Maulana Yusran denied that there was an element of intent from the hotel management regarding the test results at the end of the quarantine for foreign tourists. I emphasize that the testing is carried out by a health facility appointed by the Ministry of Health, not by the hotel manager directly.
“From the results of our investigation, the allegation that the hotel deliberately ‘covided’ is not true. The hotel has answered that there is no prohibition against conducting self-tests [for comparisons],” said Maulana when contacted, Friday (2/04).
He said the tourists applied for comparative tests with doctors or private health workers, which the government did not allow.
“The foreign tourist asked to be retested with an independent doctor, but he couldn’t. We really hope that they will be involved in the investigation because it seems as if this is a hotel that prohibits retesting, even though those who have the authority are health workers who have been appointed,” said Maulana.
He then hopes that this quarantine issue can be clarified to avoid public misunderstanding. Maulana again said that the quarantine provisions had been drawn up by the government and hoteliers only carried out according to regulations. [bisnis.com/photo special]
