Indonesian Citizens Observed in Natuna will be Sent Home

Kompas/Wawan H Prabowo

Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto (left, standing) and House of Representatives Commission IX member Nabil Haroen (right, standing), board a plane departing to Natuna on Thursday (13/2/2020) at Hang Nadim International Airport in Batam, Riau Islands province. The minister was accompanying a House Commission IX delegation on a working visit to the air base on Batam, where evacuees from Wuhan, China, are being quarantined through Saturday (15/2/2020) to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. The government is now readying three Air Force aircraft to transport those cleared of quarantine to Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base.

RANAI, KOMPAS — A total of 238 Indonesians who were evacuated from Wuhan, China, and then observed on Natuna Island, Riau Islands, will be sent to their homes on Saturday. During the observation period, which has lasted for 14 days and will end on Saturday, they have all been in good health.

Following the outbreak of the new coronavirus, 238 Indonesian citizens were evacuated from Wuhan on Feb. 1. At that time, Wuhan city and Huba province, where the city is located, had been closed by the Chinese government.

Also read : Number of Coronavirus Infection Cases Could Be Bigger

During the evacuation process, the Indonesian citizens were flown from Wuhan to Batam, Riau Islands, and were then taken to Natuna Island. They were observed at the military hospital at Raden Sadjad Air Force Base. In addition to the Indonesian citizens, there were also five members of the advance team and 42 members of the pickup team who were quarantined.

Health Ministry Disease Prevention and Control Directorate General secretary Achmad Yurianto said in Natuna on Thursday that the observation of the 238 people evacuated from Wuhan would end on Saturday and that they would then be returned to their families. One of the options being discussed is flying them to Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta.

KOMPAS/YOLA SASTRA

Officers collect health alert cards from passengers upon disembarking on Thursday (13/2/2020) at Batam Center Point, the international ferry terminal in Batam, Riau Islands. The terminal has seen a dramatic drop in the number of passengers from Singapore and Malaysia, especially since Singapore upgraded its alert status to orange last week, one level below the highest public health alert level.

Human Development and Culture Coordinating Minister Muhadjir Effendy said that all of the Indonesian citizens were healthy so they were ready to be sent to their respective homes. Their return will be carried out under the coordination of the National Disaster Management Agency.

After they arrive in Jakarta, the government will provide them with tickets to continue their journey to their final destinations, including East Java. If there are citizens who have to spend the night in Jakarta, the government will provide financial assistance.

Last week, Health Ministry director for prevention and control of infectious disease Wiendra Waworontu said that Indonesian citizens who were repatriated from Wuhan had not undergone specimen examination. "We did not do it because they were healthy and showed no symptoms of the disease. It is not because we don\'t want to check, but because it is in accordance with the SOP," he said.

KOMPAS/COKORDA YUDISTIRA

Travelers prepare to enter the departure hall of I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport on Tuesday (4/2/2020) in Badung, Bali. The government temporarily stopped all direct flights to and from China starting Wednesday (5/2/2020) to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Return to Shanghai

A Chinese citizen identified as J who visited Bali was reported to be suffering from COVID-19 (the official name of the disease triggered by the new coronavirus as announced by the World Health Organization) after returning to Shanghai, China. The patient flew from Wuhan to Denpasar, Bali, on Jan. 22. Six days later, he flew to Shanghai on Garuda Indonesia flight GA-858. J then tested positive for the infection on Wednesday.

According to Achmad, after examining passenger data on the Garuda Denpasar-Shanghai flight, the number of people named J was reduced to two. One of them was a child. J was most likely infected in Shanghai. "The average positive incubation period for COVID-19 in China is 10 days. We estimate he was infected on January 27th or 28th," he said.

Achmad said there were no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Indonesia. Of 77 patient samples at the Health

Research and Development Agency of the Health Ministry, 75 were found to be negative for the virus and the other two samples from were still being examined.

The number of the confirmed cases totaled 59,804 with the death toll reaching 1,367.

Garuda sprayed the GA 858 aircraft, which flew the Shanhai route on Jan. 28, with disinfectant liquid. This was done because one of the plane’s passages tested positive for COVID-19 on Feb. 5. "The filter for the high-efficiency particulate arresting air filter system has been replaced," said Garuda Indonesia’s operations director Capt. Tumpal M Hutapea.

A change in counting methods by Chinese authorities led to a surge in the reported number of positive COVID-19 cases per day in the country. On Thursday, there were an additional 15,152 positive cases from the usual 2,000-3000 cases. The additional death toll per day also increased to 254 people from 90 people previously. Thus, the number of the confirmed cases totaled 59,804 with the death toll reaching 1,367.