Two travelers from Jakarta visiting Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) have tested positive for the coronavirus, an official has confirmed, at a time when domestic tourism is being aggressively promoted despite rising COVID-19 cases across Indonesia.

Yohanes Johan, a health official from the Health Agency in West Manggarai regency, said the two confirmed patients are domestic travelers, adding that one foreign traveler received “reactive” results on their rapid test and is currently waiting for the results of a swab test.

“For the two domestic travelers they are from Jakarta, but they traveled to Bali and then to Labuan Bajo,” Yohanes told CNN Indonesiayesterday.

Health officials have traced the contacts of all three travelers, including the hotel staff they had contact with on their trip, whose rapid test results were reportedly “non-reactive.” 

Medical experts have criticized the use of low-cost rapid antibody test kits in Indonesia for months, as they are deemed as being inaccurate to show current coronavirus infections.

The question of traveling during the pandemic has come up more recently in the country, especially with some provinces having markedly higher numbers of COVID-19 cases compared to others. Just a little more than a week ago, a number of Indonesian influencers bore the brunt of online flak after traveling to Labuan Bajo on what appeared to be a sponsored trip to encourage domestic tourism. 

In the video that has since gone viral, TikTok user @Frterannotamba highlighted how these travelers coming in from high-risk zones are posing risks to local NTT residents.

“Please remember, you are coming from red zones, even if you passed the rapid test, you could contract the virus on your journey and infect the local people there … Remember, NTT’s health facilities are extremely limited,” @Frterannotamba said. 

“Don’t sacrifice others for the sake of money, content, and your individual pleasure. Remember that.”

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