Some regions in Indonesia don’t test for COVID-19 to maintain ‘green zone’ status—governor

Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo gets off one of the buses to be exported by CV Laksana to Bangladesh. The governor took part in a ceremony to mark the delivery of the buses at the company’s factory in Semarang on Feb. 22. Antara/Ant via The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network

JAKARTA — Some regional leaders in Central Java are deliberately refraining from conducting COVID-19 tracking and testing in order to maintain the “green zone” status of their areas, Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo has said.

“Some want their regions to be called green zones and get recognition, but they don’t conduct any [COVID-19] tests,” Ganjar said on Saturday, as quoted by kompas.com.

He said that he had previously praised some regions that reported low rates, or even zero cases, of COVID-19 infection. However, he recently found out that the regions had made no effort to detect any cases.

Although Ganjar refused to identify the regions, he said he had demanded massive COVID-19 tracking and testing to be conducted in regions that have been designated as green zones.

The governor cited Banyumas regency as an example of a region that put real effort in containing the spread of COVID-19 disease in Central Java.

He said the Banyumas administration was tracking down residents with comorbidity factors, such as diabetes or hypertension, in an effort to prevent COVID-19 transmission to those at higher risk from the disease.

“People [with comorbidities] will be given a bracelet as a sign that they are vulnerable, so that people will avoid close contact,” Ganjar said.

As of Saturday, Central Java has recorded 32,738 confirmed COVID-19 cases with 2,431 fatalities. The province has the fourth-largest number of COVID-19 cases in Indonesia, behind West Java, East Java and Jakarta.