TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The national COVID-19 mitigation task force chief, Doni Monardo, said that a total of 70,367 Indonesian migrant workers had returned home due to the new coronavirus pandemic.

In the next few days, he added, 12,758 Indonesian crewmembers from 17 cruise ships would arrive at Tanjung Priok Port, Jakarta, and Benoa Port, Bali.

Thus, Doni asserted that his team would keep an eye on the impending influx in a bid to prevent new positive cases in the country.

“This could potentially be part of the virus transmission. The provincial-level task forces have established organizations, and we hope each of them can prevent, detect, and deal with the matter,” said Doni via teleconference after a meeting with President Jokowi today, May 4.

The President has ordered the task force, ministries as well as related institutions to prepare debarkation points or centralized meeting areas so that the authorities could conduct early health screenings and set up possible isolation points for the arriving migrant workers.

“Monitor this well so that we do not have to deal with a second wave [of coronavirus cases],” said Jokowi during a teleconference meeting at the Bogor Palace, West Java, on Monday, May 4.

DEWI NURITA