Indonesia Briefly Halts Chinese Food Imports Due to Coronavirus
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3 February 2020 17:13 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Trade Minister Agus Suparmanto confirmed that the Indonesian government would temporarily halt the flow of food staple imports from China following the spread of the coronavirus (2019-nCoV) originating from the country’s province of Wuhan.
“This comes after the uncertainty following the coronavirus. We will stop food supply imports for the moment from the country that is infected by the virus,” said Agus in Jakarta on Monday, February 3.
The import halt aligns with the call to stop the free-visa policy for Chinese tourists. Agus said that he was determined to protecting Indonesia’s 260 million population from falling victim to the coronavirus.
He assured that the import halt would only be temporary, pending developments about the coronavirus' spread in China. “Yes, businesses [unfortunately] must face this fact, as this is the actual situation we are facing.”
He referred to a previous outbreak, SARS, as a comparison to how long the Chinese food embargo wouldlast. During that time, he said, the embargo lasted for 9 months. “We can only hope and pray that it will be quicker. We must be wise in facing a situation of force major such as these,” Agus asserts.
LARISSA HUDA
