The mayor of the South Kalimantan city of Banjarbaru, Nadjmi Adhani, passed away this morning reportedly due to COVID-19, becoming the first high-ranking government official to succumb to the disease.
Nadjmi tested positive for the coronavirus on July 27. That same day, he recorded a video to warn his citizens not to underestimate COVID-19.
“I want to remind the citizens of Banjarbaru not to take COVID-19 lightly. It’s real and we must fight against it with health protocol discipline,” he said in the video.
Nadjmi tested positive along with his wife, Ririn Kartika Rini, and they were both placed in isolation at a local hospital.
Nadjmi’s health worsened yesterday and he passed away at 2:30AM today after two weeks in isolation.
It’s not immediately clear if Nadjmi had any underlying medical conditions. His wife is reportedly still in treatment.
Unlike some government officials, Nadjmi was known as a mayor who was serious about upholding COVID-19 protocols to the point that he was one of the first few in the country to enact sanctions for violations such as not wearing a mask in public, starting, controversially, with push-ups as punishment before later moving on to fines.
Other high-ranking government officials to recently test positive for the coronavirus include Solo Deputy Mayor Achmad Purnomo, who met with President Joko Widodo shortly before his diagnosis. Thankfully, the president has since tested negative for the virus.
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