TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Nearly 250 Indonesians were evacuated from Wuhan, China, to Indonesia, on Saturday, to undergo mandatory medical testing before returning home, a high-ranking official stated on Saturday. The official cited that the health check-up was conducted at a military base in the country's northwest Natuna island.

A military base in Natuna islands was selected as a quarantine location since it has several supporting facilities, such as a hospital, with a capacity of 300 patients, a jetty, runaway, and a hangar for aircraft, TNI Commander in Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto stated during a press conference at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Tangerang, on Saturday.

"Our military base in Natuna islands is five to six kilometers from the nearest villages," he stated, adding that the coronavirus quarantine location is far from the residential areas.

Taking into account its location and facilities, the TNI chief commander made assurance that the military base will serve as an ideal quarantine location for a total of 250 evacuees comprising 245 Indonesian nationals currently staying in Hubei Province and five members of an advanced team deployed by the authority for the evacuation process.

In the meantime, Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi announced that the evacuation will be conducted by using an aircraft operated by a full-service carrier Batik Air.

ANTARA