Protests By Natuna Residents Prompt The Government To Build Infectious Disease Quarantine Sites

JAKARTA - The government is now determining the location of the island and a hospital for observation and quarantine for infectious diseases such as the corona virus or other viruses. Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs (Menkopolhukam) Mahfud MD said this decision was made after a direct order from President Joko Widodo some time ago.

"The president asked us to discuss the possibility of setting up a special long-term hospital if there is an event like the corona virus. That is just anticipation because we are surprised to bring many people to one place," Mahfud told reporters at the Kemenkopolhukam Office, Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat, Central Jakarta, Friday, February 7.

In the same place, Minister of Health (Menkes) Terawan Agus Putranto also confirmed that the location determination had occurred due to a wave of protests from the government and the people of Natuna Regency some time ago.

At that time, the protests took place after they learned that their area was used as an observation or quarantine location for 238 Indonesians who had just been returned from the city of Wuhan, China, after the recent coronavirus outbreak.

"Yes, that's one of the things of all geopolitics, defense and security. So today we are brainstorming, today we talk and become input for the Coordinating Minister," said Terawan after the meeting took place.

Mahfud MD said that currently Indonesia actually already has three isolation hospitals to deal with the spread of the virus, one of which is the Gatot Subroto Army Hospital. It's just that these three hospitals, are not included in a special hospital.

Although there has been no further decision regarding the location of the observation or quarantine, according to Mahfud, wherever the location will be, it must be close to a military base and near an airport.

However, from the results of the meeting, the former Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court (MK) said that there were those who gave input, whether the location of the observation and the quarantine was on a separate island.

"It could be on a separate island, it could be on an island where there are inhabitants or there are already residents," Mahfud explained concluding his statement.

Previously reported, the government and residents of Natuna Regency had protested when they learned that Indonesian citizens had been repatriated from Wuhan, China. The reason is, apart from no prior notification or socialization, the distance between Raden Sadjad Air Base and residential areas is so close to about two kilometers.

This is different from what was conveyed by the TNI Commander Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto. Before dispatching the team to Wuhan City, China, he said the distance between the quarantine and residential areas was about six kilometers. So that with such a close distance, residents claimed to be worried about contracting the virus, whose incubation period could last for 14 days.