TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian flag carrier Garuda Indonesia ensured that flight services to and from Incheon, Seoul, South Korea would operate normally, according to the airline's CEO Irfan Setiaputra.

This statement was issued following the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' policy on the prohibition of entry and transit to Indonesia for tourists who have a travel history to several countries in the last 14 days including Iran, Italy, and South Korea since they were dealing with the COVID-19.

Irfan explained his side was coordinating intensively with relevant ministries and authorities so that the policy could be followed up properly. "Especially in terms of precautionary measures needed to take concerning aviation operations to mitigate the risk of the virus spread," said Irfan in a written statement dated Thursday, March 5, 2020.

At present, the state-owned airline serves as many as 14 flights to and from Seoul every week, consisting of Jakarta - Seoul - Jakarta and Denpasar - Seoul - Denpasar flight routes. Each serves seven flights per week.

Irfan said that his side was consistently taking preventive measures to prevent virus transmission, such as sterilizing aircraft with disinfectant, providing hand sanitizers and masks for flight crews and passengers if necessary.

Additionally, Irfan said the HEPA filters on the fleet used for flights to and from destinations affected by the virus outbreak were replaced, and crews are obliged to undergo routine checks before and after their duties.

Irfan went on to say that Garuda Indonesia continued monitoring the current situation over the development of the COVID-19 outbreak and coordinating with relevant ministries and authorities to take necessary actions to prevent the virus spread.

EKO WAHYUDI