TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry’s acting spokesman Tauku Faizasyah said the government has prepared plans to evacuate Indonesians residing in Chinese cities contaminated by the coronavirus. However, to do so depends heavily on the Chinese government’s policy.

“It depends on how far the Chinese government’s suggested action on the evacuation plans. Whether the [Indonesians] could be evacuated home directly or must they be evacuated to other safer areas in China,” said Faizasyah in a press conference at the Foreign Affairs Ministry headquarters on Monday.

He further explained that the Ministry has held a meeting to discuss the coronavirus outbreak and shares the same view as the United States and French government, with the two countries already voicing concerns to the Chinese government.

“We continue to maintain communication with China, either central government or provincial,” he said.

China reports that 29 out of 31 Chinese provinces have been infected by the coronavirus which initially spread from the Wuhan province. They also reported 2,762 coronavirus infections, 5,764 suspected infections, and 80 confirmed deaths.

Due to the rapid spread nationwide, the Chinese government has quarantined 15 cities in the province of Hubei. Tauku Faizasyah revealed that there are 243 Indonesians staying in quarantine zones, with the majority of them being college students such as in Wuhan, Xianning, Huangshi, Jingzhou, Xiangyang, Enshi, and Shiya.

AHMAD FAIZ IBNU SANI