Indonesian health authorities said on December 28 that they are conducting contact tracing after the Southeast Asian country detected the first case of the fast-spreading Omicron variant of COVID-19 in the community.

Health workers collects swab sample for COVID-19 testing in Surabaya, Indonesia (Photo: AFP/VNA)

Speaking at a press conference, health ministry official Siti Nadia Tarmizi said the first confirmed case was a 37-year-old male who was from the city of Medan.

The man had no recent history of overseas travel or contact with international travellers, Tarmizi said, adding he was asymptomatic and was in isolation at a Jakarta hospital.

Earlier this month, Indonesian President Joko Widodo urged people to strictly follow health protocols after authorities said that an employee at an hospital which serves as a quarantine site in Jakarta had tested positive for the variant.

Health authorities said that there have been 47 confirmed cases of Omicron in Indonesia, mostly imported ones.

The Indonesian government has decided to increase the number of PCR tests for arrivals during mandatory quarantine to three.

Source: VNA