TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo has asked for greater supervision in the repatriation of Indonesian migrant workers (TKI) from Malaysia in order to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 in Indonesian regions and villages.

Since the Malaysian government imposed a lockdown on March 18, thousands of migrant workers have flocked home through Tanjung Balai Karimun international port.

"Currently, there is mobility from Indonesian workers going home from Malaysia on a daily basis. This must be controlled, monitored and checked so that all (Indonesians migrant workers) are clean and will not bring COVID-19 into the villages," the president said through a video conference from Galang Island, Riau Islands, on Wednesday, April 1.

Previously, Widodo admitted that he received reports of approximately 3,000 migrant workers returning daily from Malaysia.

He predicted that the trend will only increase as hundreds of thousands to millions of workers from Malaysia will look to return to the country on the eve of the upcoming Eid al-Fitr.

"This really needs to be examined because it involves hundreds of thousands (to) millions of Indonesian citizens who will return home," Jokowi said.

In addition, the government is also preparing the repatriation of an estimated 10,000 Indonesians working overseas on cruise ships. “We need to prepare a number of steps for their screening,” the president added.

DEWI NURITA | DIO SUHENDA (Intern Translator)