TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto said the observation process of Indonesian citizens in Natuna who were evacuated from China over the coronavirus outbreak will end on Saturday, February 15.

However, Terawan admitted that the government has not yet decided on the technical procedure to return the 238 evacuees to their respective hometowns as the coordination meeting was still afoot today.

“[The observation] will end on Saturday, February 15. But we are still holding the coordination meeting on how to return them, what aircraft to be used, and their destinations,” said the minister after the meeting with Vice President Ma’ruf Amin at Grand Kebon Sirih Building, Jakarta, Tuesday, February 11.

Terawan confirmed that all evacuees are healthy even before they were airlifted from China and have been put under observation upon their arrival on February 2.

The Health Minister believed that the new virus or the 2019-nCoV has not entered Indonesia, which is attributable to the government’s efforts that complied with the international standard procedure in dealing with the case. Besides, he claimed that the government had advanced tools.

Terawan further allowed the World Health Organization (WHO) to visit Indonesia should it willing to check the government’s performance in responding to the coronavirus crisis. “We will welcome them, WHO or the United States, to see the process with their tools. We are open, nothing is hidden,” he underlined.

AHMAD FAIZ