TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - As many as 23 people incorporated in a team to evacuate 68 Indonesians on Diamond Princess cruise ship had departed Friday afternoon, February 28, 2020. Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi send off the evacuation team at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

"[The ship's passengers] are tested negative for the coronavirus or COVID-19, so we send a team to evacuate them, crew members of the cruise ship," said Retno after seeing off the team.

The team consists of Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel, policemen, Social Ministry officials, Transportation Ministry officials, Legal and Human Rights Ministry officials, and other representatives of state institutions.

Retno explained that the team departed for Yokohama, Japan, boarding Garuda Indonesia aircraft at 4:00 PM on Friday, February 28, 2020, and will land at Haneda Airport, Japan on Saturday, February 29, 2020, at 1:00 AM

Upon arrival, the team will directly evacuate Indonesian nationals to return home and will arrive on March 1, 2020, at 6:00 PM. However, Retno stopped short of detailing the location of their arrival in Indonesia.

As for those who refused to be evacuated, Retno said that because they were willing to continue their work as the cruise ship's crew. "So [we only evacuate] 68 people and the other two will stay in Diamond Princess," she added.

As widely reported, there are a total of 78 Indonesian nationals on the cruise ship, with 8 of them were infected by the coronavirus and would not be evacuated as they were under medical treatment in Japan.

ANTARA