Coronavirus news Indonesia

In addition to that, the pastor of a church in Bandung and his wife died and they tested 600 of the congregation and 226 tested positive I think from doing communion. Some people really are not taking self isolating seriously.

Shill88 wrote:

The drive-thru tests for Covid-19 in West Java began yesterday and the figures show around 600 confirmed positive with about 300 in Sukabumi and 200 in Bandung already.

I haven't seen those reports. Perhaps you could link to them.

Perhaps it would be a good idea to add links to all stories and claims.
As most will be aware, spreading fake news is illegal and punishable with heavy penalties, so links to the newspaper report or government site you take the details from will protect you from issues if the story if fake.
If you spread fake news without link, even if you think it's true, you might find yourself with a big headache.

It was on the television news on TV One channel yesterday.

Yesterday it was reported that 127 people linked to a Bandung church event tested positive for COVID-19

About 2,000 people had attended a religious seminar held by GBI Lembang between March 2 and 6.

One hundred and twenty-seven people have tested positive after rapid tests were carried out on hundreds of people who attended a Lembang Bethel Church of Indonesia (GBI) event in Bandung, West Java.

On March 21, a pastor who attended the seminar died after testing positive for COVID-19. His wife also contracted the disease and died about a week later.

For those living in the Bandung area this should be a big worry.

The above news was mentioned in my post #161 was on the national news channel TV One yesterday and can be found in the Jakarta Post. Fred, perhaps I can suggest that you do a little research yourself to better inform yourself before deleting people's comments.

Regarding deleting my post #161, anyone who watched the latest news last night on TV One news channel on the television or read the Jakarta Post then you will see the above news.....please give it a rest Fred. Also, may I suggest that you do a little more research next time before you remove other members posts.

Expats should be aware that Mudik risks mass contagion across Java. This means that we should be even more vigilant with regards to self isolating. It also means that it is definitely not the time to travel on any form of public transport as the risks of catching Covid-19 would probably be a lot higher than at present.

Many people are currently using Go Food and Grab for restaurant deliveries etc, but please be advised to wash your hands and the packaging or plastic bags as these motorbike drivers are coming into contact with a lot of people.

We have learned that many Gojek and Grab drivers are getting a lot less business than normal so we usually give a healthy tip or a free packaged meal to them which they always appreciate.

The situation with Covid-19 is probably going to get a lot lot worse before it gets better so please take precautions everyone.

Fred wrote:

Shill88 wrote:

The drive-thru tests for Covid-19 in West Java began yesterday and the figures show around 600 confirmed positive with about 300 in Sukabumi and 200 in Bandung already.

I haven't seen those reports. Perhaps you could link to them.

Fred, have you been living in outer space? Try watching the national news on television. I saw it on TV One channel last night. Also there is an English language newspaper called the Jakarta Post that I read daily, and you can find it there too.

One issue with rapid tests is they simply are not reliable currently, many european countries have sent these back to china, it is widely documented they are usualy 30% accurate all/ most news outlets have reported this and yes the very same tests they use in indonesia, thailand etc
Grab food/ gojeks i understand this is the normal for many, we stopped it in february, its a time bomb and russian rulette IMHO

Agree, at the very least, take ample precautions when using those services.

Also heard that people with blood group O have a better chance of resisting the Covid-19. For me, I have my age and a cough that work against me, but my blood type is O so perhaps that's something in my favour. Unfortunately the wife and kids are all blood group A.

Shill88 wrote:

Agree, at the very least, take ample precautions when using those services.

Also heard that people with blood group O have a better chance of resisting the Covid-19. For me, I have my age and a cough that work against me, but my blood type is O so perhaps that's something in my favour. Unfortunately the wife and kids are all blood group A.

I actually looked into that several days ago but the claim was opposite it was blood group A that was more at risk, this was later denied by experts (so far) as no conclusive evidence "yet" to back this up so far

Gwmeath wrote:

One issue with rapid tests is they simply are not reliable currently, many european countries have sent these back to china, it is widely documented they are usualy 30% accurate all/ most news outlets have reported this and yes the very same tests they use in indonesia, ....

True, so another reason why numbers are wildly inaccurate. A good few people are knocking the Indonesian government for no reporting or lying, but the fact is 'best guess' is as good as it gets.

Gwmeath wrote:

Grab food/ gojeks i understand this is the normal for many, we stopped it in february, its a time bomb and russian rulette IMHO

I'm still using it - They've added automatic (optional) messages with instructions to drivers to leave food at the door in order to avoid contact.

Gwmeath wrote:

I actually looked into that several days ago but the claim was opposite it was blood group A that was more at risk, this was later denied by experts (so far) as no conclusive evidence "yet" to back this up so far

This started with a sample of 2,000+ covid19 positive cases in China where more A group people were infected than O group. However there was no proper control group and type by general population was not reported.
The holes are obvious so it's a bit pointless until further research has been carried out.

Gwmeath wrote:

Shill88 wrote:

Agree, at the very least, take ample precautions when using those services.

Also heard that people with blood group O have a better chance of resisting the Covid-19. For me, I have my age and a cough that work against me, but my blood type is O so perhaps that's something in my favour. Unfortunately the wife and kids are all blood group A.

I actually looked into that several days ago but the claim was opposite it was blood group A that was more at risk, this was later denied by experts (so far) as no conclusive evidence "yet" to back this up so far

Well it's still early stages so it seems nothing is confirmed yet. I first saw that China had made the study and read it on Fox News. If it's not true, then that's three factors working against me with Covid-19....lol

Lots of articles around on this topic.

https://www.foxnews.com/health/people-b … tudy-findshttps://www.msn.com/en-sg/news/world/ch … _vPUq9GzIM

Gwmeath wrote:

One issue with rapid tests is they simply are not reliable

This applies to the less than perfect Bandung claims
There is no confirmation so we can't claim it as fact - The same goes for the rest.

https://en.tempo.co/read/1327645/226-po … urch-event

However, he asserted the results only indicated positive results, and that the definitive results only came from swab tests.

It is your prerogative to check anything posted here Fred. But please check carefully before removing posts. It might be a good idea to double check with another expert here first. If you feel the Bandung church article in the Jakarta Post and which was also on TV One national television news is a hoax or gossip then just put it under review. I do not mind, We all appreciate the difficult job you are doing here and understand that it is not easy.

Actually my concern is to make expats aware of the seriousness of Covid-19. There will be no panic amongst the expat community I am pretty sure, I am speaking as a real expat who knows many other expats here in Indonesia, but most expats want to know what is going on, and I feel that we need to do a better job of keeping people updated rather than playing down the seriousness of this pandemic.

tiganasfx wrote:

Fred wrote:

A lot of places are doing IR thermometer, but not all. I've passed the local veggie man three days this week, and he's doing a great trade.
Local are skipping the markets in favour of guys like him.

These ir thermometers are grossly inaccurate and practically useless.

I've been measured as seriously hypothermic twice, the security guard in question happily showing me the gun's reading showing I wasn't infected.
Near death, but not infected.

There are absolutely loads and loads of theories about what may and may not help to prevent or cure Covid-19. I believe a whole load of people died in Iran from drinking methanol in the belief it would prevent them from getting Covid-19 - really dumb thing to do. Even since the beginning people saying don't wear a mask and now most people saying do wear one. Cannot believe how useless the WHO have been throughout this. I strongly believe that thousands of lives could have been saved if they had acted promptly on several fronts such as announcing this as a pandemic earlier and recommending governments to reduce air travel etc. The UN and all their affiliates have been very disappointing for a very long time.

I very rarely take notice of anything any parliment memeber in any country says (quite often BS) and this certainly isnt the platform for this, however i will agree with what you suggest about WHO and other organisations
Looking at certain people who run these are very worrying and consider what these groups stand for, they MUST stand accountable and funding nations must realise this and hopefully the gravy train/ s derail for them

I believe that may be what the US President is thinking. Seems he has been calling out many of these organizations of which the US is the primary financial contributor and yet some of these organizations are voting against everything the US stands for. Yes they should be held accountable not just for how they operate but financially too. And that includes personal finances for those at the top.

Back to Indonesia.

Just been checked in a furniture shop - 32 °
A mall to get some shopping and an ATM - 30.5°

I appear to be very ill but, messing about apart, these people are clearly totally useless as far as checking for possible illness goes.

Quite probably air tempatures, but yes fools and yes your ill 😆

Gwmeath wrote:

Quite probably air tempatures, but yes fools and yes your ill 😆

Outside as just now, I'll go with air temp, but inside a seriously air conned shop. Ner, that's just crap operators or crap gear.

Edit - I'm watching him at the moment. He's taking the temps as the door opens and the cold blast from the AC hits.

Silly boy

Fred wrote:

Gwmeath wrote:

Quite probably air tempatures, but yes fools and yes your ill 😆

Outside as just now, I'll go with air temp, but inside a seriously air conned shop. Ner, that's just crap operators or crap gear.

All the above

IR scanners check skin temperature. If you are sweating, water evaporates and cool your skin so don't expect accurate results.

Plus the scanners they use are not for checking body temperatures so  there's a +/- 1 deg C accuracy

https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/202 … eaths.html

tiganasfx wrote:

https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/04/04/jump-in-jakarta-funerals-raises-fears-of-unreported-covid-19-deaths.html

Guesses and maybes from gentlemen with potential political gain have to be considered as possible rather than believed.
The stats appear higher, but there's nothing to say one or more factors other than covid19 aren't in play.

tiganasfx wrote:

https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/04/04/jump-in-jakarta-funerals-raises-fears-of-unreported-covid-19-deaths.html

Reports such as this are important whether they turn out to be truthful or not. The reason being that since the government has already admitted downplaying the true situation, people are left confused. Some read that the situation isn't all that bad due to the relatively low number of deaths from Covid-19 in Indonesia, and therefore see no real reason to self-isolate. Afterall, with a population of around 270 million, and only 181 deaths confirmed by Covid-19, then indeed why should anyone be all that worried? On the surface, it looks as if hardly anyone is dying in Indonesia from this virus. And those who do die form it are sometimes doctors who have direct contact with infected patients and probably quite a few people who are either very old or already sick with something else and were probably on their way out anyway.

So with the official count of less than 2,000 confirmed infected and just 181 deaths then why worry? It would seem that Indonesia is doing an excellent job of containing the virus, based on official figures.

Should we be worried at all? Or is there some kind of downplaying of the true situation? Scaremongers and hoaxers aside, the official situation seems to be well in control.

Seriously folks, with only 181 deaths and less than 2,000 infected, in a country of more than 270 million people why are people so worried?

Fred wrote:

tiganasfx wrote:

https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/04/04/jump-in-jakarta-funerals-raises-fears-of-unreported-covid-19-deaths.html

Guesses and maybes from a gentleman with potential political gain have to be considered as possible rather than believed.
The stats appear higher, but there's nothing to say one or more factors other than covid19 aren't in play.

You are a brave man to reply in such a way, especially in light of Indonesia's strict defamation laws.

Hi everyone,

Hope that you are all fine.

Well, i am participating to this thread to inform you that all information should be supported by a link. This will help us to know the source of the information.
This measure is necessary as we only want to share 100% genuine information with our dear members.

For Shill's post in 161, which is now visible to the members, all information can be found here : https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/202 … d&pg=/
@Shill : Thank you for sending us the link.   

Let's keep this thread as informative as possible please and lets avoid unnecessary fights.

Thanks all for your cooperation and stay safe   

Best Regards,

Priscilla
Expat.com team 

Shill88 wrote:

The drive-thru tests for Covid-19 in West Java began yesterday and the figures show around 600 confirmed positive with about 300 in Sukabumi and 200 in Bandung already.

The problem with claims like this is it can be hard to show they aren't total crap.

https://regional.kompas.com/read/2020/0 … rapid-test

300 non-travelling people, police students in this case, positive using unreliable rapid tests, but I'm having trouble finding a story about 300 positive after roadside checks.
The same goes for Bandung where unreliable, unconfirmed tests have shown 200 plus POSSIBLE cases, but nothing about Jalan Tol.

Perhaps we need links to show the post isn't isn't an utter rubbish attempt to spread panic and troll.

Another important point is about self-isolating. I know that many of us, myself included along with my wife, occasionally go out to visit the supermarket or to the printers or wherever. Please remember that wearing a mask and using hand sanitizer in no way substitutes self-isolating. Also, when we return home after each visit to the shops we risk infecting our other family members such as children, maid etc. So actually self isolation should really begin from returning from your last trip out.

However, wishing everyone safe keeping and good health in these trying times.

Fred, nobody is trying to spread panic and nobody here is a troll.

I believe all of us here all trying to provide good advice and information here that Expats can benefit from. However, please remember, that playing down the seriousness of the virus could be a mistake that could prove fatal. The number of deaths related to Covid-19 may also have been under reported which should be worrying:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-heal … SKBN21L2XU

And I agree with Priscilla that information should only be posted with a link. I believe that goes for all posters including those with the Expert title.

So post a link that proves your roadside tests post is true

Fred, it's not a roadside test and has nothing to do with Jalan Tol. Not sure why you keep mentioning these terms. But if you read my post #160 again, carefully, you will see that I called it a "Drive Thru test".

It is actually a "Rapid Test Drive Thru" which offers a drive-thru Covid-19 test. You need to register online before you can do it, and I believe there were 2,948 recipients who tested on April 2, 2020. The Drive Thru was held at the Stadion Gelora Bandung Lautan Api or more commonly known as "GBLA".

The below links  (one is translated into English) from April 1, 2020 and the other dated March 23, 2020 details how and where the Drive Thru tests were carried out. I'm surprised you didn't know about it since these Drive Thru tests were planned for other cities in West Java. But it just reaffirms the fact that no one poster here knows everything and not to automatically be a doubting Thomas and to accuse people of being trolls or spreading panic just because you weren't aware about this news.

And this news is indeed important because there are a lot of Expats living in Bandung.

https://www.liputan6.com/regional/read/ … april-2020https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/202 … diums.html

Some additional information relating to Jakarta and West Java.

https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/202 … gures.html

Also relating to the same article, in particular, you should note the following paragraph by Ridwan, the Governor of West Java:

"Ridwan said the official government count showed only 225 cases in West Java as of Friday, but rapid testing conducted by his administration had uncovered 677 new cases."

He does admit that the Rapid Testing is not very accurate. But it all goes to prove that probably many people have the virus but have not been tested.

Numbers showing maybes and possibilites from testing kits known to be unreliable are not worth a lot.

https://www.health.com/condition/infect … virus-testhttps://www.bbc.com/indonesia/indonesia-52031790

It's possible to report maybes, but not possible to report actual positives from these tests because all the rapid tests are inaccurate.

Wow! 677 maybe or maybe not cases.
Time to panic, or maybe not.

Same goes for shopping. Apart from things like vitamin C tabs, masks, and hand sanitiser (now less popular items because shops are all but empty of customers so they're letting some items run out), I've heard a grand total of one report of of shops running out of food stocks for more than a day or so in the whole of Indonesia, and there's absolutely no proof or backup for that claim.
There have been claims in newspapers of panic buying, that being backed up with a picture of one man with loads of toilet rolls, but people around him at the checkout queue with all but empty trollys. I've seen a picture of one man with a load of instant noodles, and another of a trolly full of rice, but nobody pushing it so that could have been the shop restocking.
Sugar has, as it mentions in the piece, but a rapid seller and might well have sold out for a day, but the shops just restocked. I gather a couple of shops ran out of rice and pot noodles for a day as well.
They also have a video for proof, that showing some people with a couple of boxes of noodles, but most with normal shopping. I saw that when I was in Jakarta on 2 march, but stocks were back to normal on 3 March, and very little was missing on the first evening, just more people were around. I left my minor shop until the next day as I couldn't be bothered with the queues.
I was in Giant, Bintaro to buy a computer bag on 4 March, so can report first hand they were fully stocked, as I can Transmart in the same town.
I only visited two food shops in North Jakarta that week, one having big queues one day, but no real stock issues and not even the queues on the Tuesday.

https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/202 … cases.html

That piece has a comment

Nizma Agustjik
They panic because they dumb stupid, brainless, heartless, do not think about the ordinary poeple, let alone the poor people. Egoistic, selfish, arrogant, inconsiderate..Jakarta is niot Wuhan or Beijing or Singapore...They think the pile of food stocks can resque them from the virus

What's next, burning down 5G towers because they spread coronavirus?

The long and the short is simple - spreading 'maybe' is a bit pointless.

I have been panic buying. I accidentally bought double the usual stock of meat because I totally forgot I'd picked it up the previous day, - we have panic bought 15 packs of instant noodles, we usually go though 5 in a week so we have three weeks supply, that being because my wife went shopping but hadn't noticed I'd bought some, and we have 5kg of rice here when we usually only buy a 2.5 kg bag.
We also bought 2 packs of egg noodles we don't often buy, mostly because we all like them but haven't had any for a while.
I did buy a large carton of delicious Greenfields milk, mostly so I didn't have to buy 2 small ones in two visits as I normally do.
However, I've been panic eating cornflakes so picked up an extra liter this morning.
I also panic bought a sofa and a new dining table in case I die of covid 19 and leave my family with nowhere to sit and watch TV.
Still no Rice Krispies so I can't panic buy them.

Seems like new cdc guidelines. Wear a mask, even a cloth mask. If everyone do this it will hamper the spreading.

Purpose of the mask is not to stop you catching the virus but to stop you giving it to someone. But if everyone does that, it will stop you catching it too.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.livesc … virus.html

Fred wrote:

Numbers showing maybes and possibilites from testing kits known to be unreliable are not worth a lot.

https://www.health.com/condition/infect … virus-testhttps://www.bbc.com/indonesia/indonesia-52031790

It's possible to report maybes, but not possible to report actual positives from these tests because all the rapid tests are inaccurate.

Wow! 677 maybe or maybe not cases.
Time to panic, or maybe not.

Take it up with the Governor Of West Java or the Jakarta Post, Fred