BATAM SEAPORTS USE MANUAL THERMOMETERS TO CHECK PASSENGERS

Batam, May 5 (ANTARA) - International and domestic seaports in Riau Islands (Kepri) province are using manual thermometers to check passengers for the H1N1 virus or swine flu because their thermo scanners are out of order.

"Thermo scanners at the Batam Center international seaport are not working so we have to use manual devices," Mawardi Badar, head of Batam health office, said here on Tuesday.

Officers on duty at Sekupang international seaport, the domestic seaports of Sekupang and Telaga Punggur also use manual thermometers.

"Only the Harbor Bay administration uses thermo scanners," Badar said.

The thermo scanners failure had happened because the temperature in the rooms where the thermo scanners were located did not meet the specified conditions, Badar said, adding that the manual thermometers were functioning well.
He said passengers with high temperatures would be quarantined before being sent to the Batam Authority hospital for further health checks.

Batam is one of the entry gates for foreign tourists wishing to visit Indonesia.