Jakarta: The men’s singles coach of Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI), Hendry Saputra was tested negative for the coronavirus, after he exhibited symptoms of possible illness while he was undergoing self-quarantine coming back from the All England tournament that was held in Birmingham, England few weeks ago.
Saputra then took the COVID-19 test twice at Pelni Hospital, West Jakarta. After his first test came back negative, the results of the swab test that came out on Tuesday (March 31, 2020) also indicated a negative test for COVID-19.
“We just got the results that Hendry’s swab test was negative and he can return home tomorrow,” said PPSI Secretary General Achmad Budiharto.
“This is good news, all shuttlers from our national team were also tested negative for the Coronavirus. Hopefully we are always in good health and can get past this Covid-19 outbreak,” continued Budiharto.
This news was welcomed by one of Saputra’s players, Jonatan Christie. Christie has been optimistic about the health of his coach.
“I have remained positive from the beginning that Hendry was not infected by the Coronavirus. I felt that the Hendry was just exhausted after returning from Europe, it was a long journey. I also believe his body is strong, I hope that Hendry will be able to recover quickly and start training the team as before,” said Christie.
Even though Saputra has been cleared to go home, however, he couldn’t go back to the Indonesia national training center just yet because it is still closed due to the corona virus pandemic.
All Indonesian players, coaches and staff who participated at the 2020 All England tournament, had gone through a 14-day quarantine. The first group of Indonesian players arrived from All England on March 15, 2020, followed by the second group on March 17, 2020.
“Everyone who went to All England has been cleared from COVID-19 infection. But remember, even though the results were negative, all must maintain their body condition by routinely taking vitamins,” said Dr. Octaviani, one of the PBSI doctors.
“We are still keeping a close eye on our players since the Covid-19 outbreak has not yet subsided,” added Dr. Octaviani.
