TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian government asserted that the evacuation of its citizens trapped in Hubei Province, China, due to the coronavirus outbreak would be executed soon. The evacuees will directly be isolated once they arrived in a bid to anticipate the exposure of the deadly virus.

“The quarantine is part of the vital procedure [of the evacuation]. The team involves in the process will also be isolated,” said the acting spokesman for the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Teuku Faizasyah, to Tempo on Friday, January 31.

However, Teuku could not yet confirm as to when they would be put in quarantine as it was the authority of the Health Ministry.

When asked for confirmation, the Health Ministry’s Director-General for Disease Prevention and Control, Anung Sugihantono, said the location for the isolation was not yet decided. “This afternoon at 1 p.m., we are invited to a meeting at the Coordinating Ministry of Human Development and Culture. We will perhaps discuss [the location],” said Anung today.

On January 30, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo finally ordered an immediate evacuation of Indonesians from Hubei, which is the center of the epidemic. The Foreign Affairs Ministry recorded a total of 243 Indonesians live in the lockdown region, yet the number is subject to increase because some may have not made a report.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry stated the preparation for the coronavirus evacuation was still afoot and that the Chinese government was ready to facilitate the process.

EGI ADYATAMA