TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo or Jokowi said Indonesia was set to face the coronavirus outbreak. “I need to say that the government since the onset is all prepared,” he said at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Monday, March 2, 2020.

The President confirmed today the country’s first two coronavirus cases, and that the government was ready to face the COVID-19.

Jokowi explained the government had readied a number of referral hospitals equipped with over 100 isolation rooms of international standards. “We also have equipment that comply with the international standards and ample reagents. We also have joint teams of the military (TNI) and civilians to handle this, I have never mentioned this [team] before,” he said.

The government also has operational standards that are on a par with international ones, he added. “We also have a budget that we prioritize, because if we failed to deal with this seriously, it would be very dangerous and we have to keep our eyes open against this disease,” he said.

According to Jokowi, the government has gone all out to keep the coronavirus from entering the country. “All countries are presently on their toes, including us. The teams are working on this situation. We are also investigating the people that the Japanese [who transmitted the coronavirus] has been in contact while in Indonesia,” he said.

Dewi Nurita | Galuh Kurnia Ramadhani