Over 400 people in Bangli province test positive to coronavirus antibodies

Image: Testing in Abian, Bangli. Credit: Pemprov.bali

A total of 1,210 out of 2,640 residents of three banjars of Abuan Village in Bangli, have undergone  coronavirus rapid tests on Thursday (4/30/2020) and 434 people were found to be reactive (had anit-bodies) and 767 were non-reactive.

They underwent the rapid test after eight residents tested positive for Covid-19 two days ago due to local transmission.

“36.61 percent of residents were reactive,” head of Covid-19 Task Force for Bangli Regency, I Wayan Dirgayusa, told Kompas on Thursday (4/30) afternoon.

Dirgayusa also explained that to be sure, today swab tests will be conducted in stages using the PCR method. This is to find out whether the residents have contracted the corona virus or Covid-19.

Banjar Serokodan has been isolated so that there is no expansion of the Covid-19 cases to surrounding areas. “So, the isolation has been tightened. All residents of Banjar Serokadan are prohibited from conducting activities outside the village and home, and supervision is carried out directly by the Regency Task Force,” he said.

For the isolation, the government’s Social Service will prepare the basic needs of all residents for two weeks, with a soup kitchen will be set up for the residents. Security forces, namely the police, TNI, and Satpol PP will secure the entrance and exit of Abuan Village.

The increase in positive cases of the new corona virus or Covid-19 caused by local transmission is of concern to the Bali Province Covid-19 Task Force.

Eight residents of Banjar Serokadan, Bangli, tested positive for Covid-19, presumed to be contracted from Indonesian migrant workers (PMI) who performed independent quarantine at their homes in the area.

Editor’s note about the rapid test.

The rapid test is a technique for testing the presence of antibodies in the body. The rapid test results cannot be used independently to confirm the presence or absence of a SARS-CoV-2 corona virus infection that causes Covid-19 in the body. To confirm the presence of corona virus accurately, a swab test using the PCR (polymerase chain reaction) must be performed.