Health Minister: 243 Indonesian Citizens in Wuhan Are in Good Condition

Minister of Health, Minister of Transportation, and Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy on the Cordination Meeting on the Prevention of Coronavirus in Indonesia, Jakarta, Monday (27/1). (Photo by: Ministry of Transportation PR)

As many as 243 Indonesian citizens in the Chinese city of Wuhan—which is the ground zero for the deadly coronavirus—are in good condition, according to Minister of Health Terawan Agus Putranto.

“I urge the people to keep a healthy life to properly maintain your immunity,” Terawan said during a Coordination Meeting with Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi and Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Wishnutama on the Prevention of Coronavirus in Indonesia, Jakarta, Monday (27/1).

The Minister also ensured that the Government is fully responsible for anticipating the spread of the virus in Indonesia. The Chinese Government also takes responsibility for ensuring that people leaving and entering their country are in good health, he added.

In the meantime, Budi Karya said that as of today, there no ban in place for flights to and from cities in China other than the city of Wuhan.

“The WHO has not issued any official statement regarding the matter,” he said, adding that certain procedures applied to passengers and flight crew from international flights, including those from China who enter Indonesia.

Meanwhile, Wishnutama stated that there is no travel ban on tourists from China entering Indonesia, except those from Wuhan. “In general, Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a yellow (travel advice) status to warn the citizens against traveling to China but the traveling to Wuhan is listed in the red category or prohibited,” Wishnutama said.

For the record, seven cities in Indonesia including Jakarta, Denpasar, Manado, Batam, Semarang, Solo, and Surabaya. have scheduled flights to Chinese cities, while flights to Wuhan from Indonesia are available from Denpasar in the resort island of Bali with four flights per week with a passenger capacity of 1,720 passengers per week (on winter 2019). (BKIP Kemenhub/EN)

Translated by: Galuh Wicaksono
Reviewed by: Muhammad Ersan Pamungkas