Malang, E Java (ANTARA) - Three residents of Malang District in East Java Province have been exposed to the Omicron variant of COVID-19, Deputy District Head Didik Gatot Subroto informed on Saturday.
According to Subroto, the three residents are currently undergoing self-isolation.
"Three residents have tested positive in Banjararum. We have sent them to the isolation site," he added.
He said he sent a COVID-19 handling task force team to Banjararum Village to monitor the activities of local residents after the Omicron infections were detected in the village.
The team will restrict the mobility of local residents to reduce the potential for the spread of the Omicron variant, Subroto said. The strict restriction on public mobility will only be limited to the red zone, or area with a high risk of COVID-19 transmission, he added.
"We have imposed a local lockdown in the area. We have also readied officers to monitor the mobility of the people," he said.
Officers of the Malang District Health Service are tracing local residents who have come in close contact with the three residents, he informed. Hopefully, the tracing will be completed in two to three days, he said.
The three confirmed Omicron patients are currently undergoing self-isolation at the government-owned isolation center in Kepanjen Sub-district, Malang District, he added.
Subroto did not elaborate on whether the three patients had traveled to other regions. The Omicron cases are the first to be detected in Greater Malang (Malang District, Malang City, and Batu City), he said.
Overall, Malang District has recorded 14,579 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 24 active cases. Meanwhile, 13,592 people have recovered and 963 people have succumbed to the virus in the district. (*)
