At least three passengers who boarded at least one train on the Bekasi-Jakarta line of the KRL Commuterline have tested positive for the new coronavirus, after undergoing a swab test using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) method at Bekasi train station yesterday.
KRL Commuterline is the most popular rail-based transit system connecting the Greater Jakarta Area cities, including Bekasi, which is one of Jakarta’s satellite cities.
At a press conference today, Bekasi Vice Mayor Rahmat Effendi said that the three passengers, whose ages range from 30-53, were among the 300 people tested yesterday. They are reportedly residents of different sub-districts in Bekasi City who take KRL Commuterline trains daily for their activities in the capital.
Rahmat said one of them was picked up from her office on MH Thamrin Street, Central Jakarta.
The three passengers have been brought to the Bekasi General Hospital for isolation. It is not immediately clear if all three boarded one train or were on separate trains.
In addition, an 18-year-old teenager also tested positive after undergoing a test at one of the six checkpoints throughout the borders of Bekasi city.
The Bekasi city administration has prepared to conduct hundreds of PCR swab tests for the coronavirus at the Bekasi train station as well as several checkpoints across Bekasi city borders. The countermeasure was taken following West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil’s announcement last week that three Commuterline passengers who boarded trains on the Bogor-Jakarta line had tested positive for the coronavirus.
Rahmat said the spread of COVID-19 in Bekasi has yet to show any signs of stopping despite the lack of new cases in the last four days, adding that the city administration will conduct rapid tests for 5,000 people across its 56 sub-districts.
As of today, Bekasi has confirmed 256 COVID-19 cases with 167 recoveries and 28 deaths.
