Govt: No Sign of Coronavirus among 21 New Evacuees

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The acting spokesperson for the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Teuku Faizasyah, ensured that the 21 Indonesian citizens who were just evacuated from China had been screened for the coronavirus prior to the evacuation and were declared healthy or unaffected.

“They depart from non-isolated regions of China and have undergone a health screening. They are all certified healthy,” said Faizasyah at Bina Graha Building, Jakarta, Monday, February 10.

According to Faizasyah, the additional evacuees were allowed to be airlifted to Indonesia since they tested negative for the Wuhan virus, which according to a Reuters report today has claimed 908 lives until Sunday.

Upon their arrival in Jakarta, Faizasyah asserted that they were obliged to undergo a similar health test yet with different procedures by the Health Ministry.

The Health Ministry's Director-General for Disease Prevention and Control, Anung Sugihantono, said the inspection procedures for the evacuees were not much different. The ministry will also provide a notification in the form of a head alert card at the airport of their respective destinations.

Anang added that the ministry had notified the regional administrations where the evacuees reside to provide education and access if they faced health issues within the next 14 days—the alleged incubation period of the coronavirus.

The regional administrations could also carry out surveillance or observations at the homes of the 21 evacuees through the head alert cards, Anung concluded.

FRISKI RIANA