Two men in Batam, Riau Islands have evaded quarantine despite having been in close contact with a Singaporean Covid-19 patient, The Jakarta Post reported.

Both residents work as app-based ojek motorcycle taxi drivers and were afraid they would lose their incomes and jobs if kept under quarantine.

"One of them was already quarantined but then ran away. Another has refused since the beginning and can't be reached now. They refused to be quarantined because they're afraid of losing their jobs and income,” Riau Islands Health Agency head Tjeptjep Yudiana said on March 3.

“We're currently looking for ways to give them money [to replace their lost earnings].”

The duo are among the 15 people identified as having been in close contact with three Singapore residents who tested positive for Covid-19 after visiting Batam.

The two were supposed to be quarantined with nine other people at the haj dormitory complex in Batam from March 2 to 8.

The four other contacts are being quarantined in their homes.

The local police have been requested to help search for the two men so they could proceed with the quarantine.

The two men have not been found.

Indonesia still learning how to deal with Covid-19

The health agency in Batam admits its medical workers were not yet familiar with how to implement a quarantine during a virus outbreak.

Currently, a room on the third floor of a building in the haj dormitory complex is used to quarantine the 11 people along with three observation and medical workers.

The rest of the complex remains open to the public,

Tjeptjep also acknowledged that Indonesia's capabilities in identifying those who had been in close contact with Covid-19 patients lagged far behind those of Singapore.

Indonesia relied on interviews, while Singapore used CCTV cameras installed in many public areas to triangulate evidence.

Background

On Sunday, March 1, Singapore’s Health Ministry announced that two Singaporean citizens and one Myanmar national had tested positive for Covid-19 after visiting Batam from Feb. 21 to Feb. 23.

The 15 people in Batam identified as having close contact with the three patients are 33-year-old P, along with his wife and two children, and 39-year-old CSS, along with 10 of her relatives and close acquaintances.

P acted as Case 103’s driver during the Singaporean’s visit, while CSS worked as her domestic helper.

The two men who evaded quarantine are among CSS’s acquaintances.

Top photo via Google Maps