Stay Alert for Coronavirus

KOMPAS/PRIYOMBODO

Family members greet Indonesian citizens evacuated from Wuhan, China, at Halim Perdana Kusuma Airport in Jakarta on Saturday. The 238 Indonesian citizens who were quarantined for 14 days in Natuna, Riau Islands, have been declared healthy and have been allowed to return to their respective homes across 30 provinces. Their arrival at Halim Perdana Kusuma Airport seems not to have been widely covered by the media.

All the Indonesian citizens evacuated from Wuhan, China, have completed their observation period. None of them tested positive for COVID-19, the condition resulting from the novel coronavirus.

We are relieved that the 285 people are healthy. They consist of 238 Indonesian citizens evacuated from Wuhan, five members of the advance team from the Indonesian embassy in Beijing and 42 members of the evacuation team.

All of them have returned to their respective homes. Those who live in Jakarta were picked up by family members. This brings a belief to the community that their family members are in good health and are not carriers of the novel coronavirus.

We appreciate the government\'s move to repatriate Indonesians from Wuhan in Hubei province, where the COVID-19 outbreak was first identified. The government also quickly made the decision to observe the 285 people on Natuna because the island was isolated and had health facilities under Indonesian military (TNI) control. The World Health Organization (WHO) said that the government handling of the quarantine had been in line with WHO protocol.

Even so, we should continue to stay alert. The confirmed cases and deaths in China continue to increase. As of Friday last week, nearly 1,400 people had died while 64,000 had been diagnosed. Outside of China, the number of deaths has increased by one, in France, to a total of three.

KOMPAS/WAWAN H PRABOWO

Local community members wave farewell to Indonesian Citizens who finished a quarantine related to the new coronavirus in Raden Sadjad Ranai Air Force Base, Natuna, Riau Islands, on Saturday. A total of 238 Indonesian citizens, who were evacuated from Wuhan, China, due to the new corona outbreak, had been observed for 14 days and were declared in good health. The Indonesian citizens were flown from Natuna to Halim Perdanakusuma before returning to their respective home regions. The planes used to fly them to Halim were the same as the planes that carried them from Batam to Natuna, namely two Boeing 737s and one Hercules.

The WHO has not been able to determine firmly how the virus is transmitted and when the outbreak will stop. The number of people infected with COVID-19 outside of China is still increasing, with Africa identifying its first case last week. A number of countries, including Indonesia, still restrict flights to and from China.

To date, Indonesia has not reported any cases of COVID-19. All parties, however, should remain alert. This coronavirus does not always cause clear signs of fever or flu in the carrier. Thus, transmission can occur unwittingly.

Healthy living habits, such as washing your hands properly, not spitting carelessly and covering your mouth and nose when sneezing with your palms are not yet a habit for most of us.

We need to always be vigilant and ready, even if there is only one case of infection, especially in densely populated residential areas. Healthy living habits, such as washing your hands properly, not spitting carelessly and covering your mouth and nose when sneezing with your palms are not yet a habit for most of us.

Even without any reports of domestic coronavirus infection, the national economy, especially the tourism sector and related industries, has felt the impact of the outbreak.

We want the government to continue campaigning for ways to prevent transmission, to encourage citizens not to be afraid to go to health facilities when they feel signs of fever or flu and to prepare health workers throughout Indonesia, especially in areas that are connected with cross-border movements of people.