Receiving Indonesian Citizens Participating In Natuna Observation Between Us

JAKARTA - The two-week quarantine period passed by 238 Indonesians who had been repatriated from Wuhan, China, related to the spread of the corona virus (COVID-19). From the results of observations, none of the hundreds of people contracted this dangerous virus. They were sent back to their respective areas.

Their repatriation took place Saturday 15 February. By boarding two Boeing 737 planes and a unit of Hercules aircraft belonging to the Indonesian Air Force, hundreds of observation participants will go to Jakarta, before they are actually sent home.

Through a teleconference, Secretary of the Directorate General of Disease Prevention and Control of the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) Achmad Yurianto said hundreds of observation participants had to undergo the final medical examination before being transported to their respective regions.

"This means that Saturday morning is the last check and after that we prepare them to prepare them to return to Jakarta," said Yurianto in Jakarta, Thursday, February 13.

Upon arrival in Jakarta, the observation participants will be handed over to their respective local governments. In addition, by being sent home, it is hoped that the entire community at large will not worry about developing issues and be able to accept the observation participants.

Indonesian citizens who participated in the Natuna observation (Twitter / @ bnpb)

To reduce people's fears and worries, the government is making efforts to ensure that the participants of the observation are not the source of the spread of the Corona virus. "When we arrive at Halim, our hope is that they (the local government) will be there and pick them up right away," said Yuri.

Minister of Health Terawan Agus Putranto said that his party had provided the observation participants with certificates to prove their health status which was not infected by this dangerous virus.

So, the people who live with them don't need to be afraid to socialize. "All Indonesian citizens have also been equipped with the results of health certification from the results of the inspection by the government. They also received monitoring during the observation period," explained Terawan.

Reduce worry

Community concern with the return of the observation participants was considered normal. Sociology expert, Bayu A. Yulianto, requested that the government periodically take steps that can convince and change people's perceptions of the hundreds of Indonesian citizens.

"There is still a possibility (negative response from the community), especially when not all citizens are well informed (about the corona virus). Hence, the role of government is important, especially after quarantine, what they will do or prepare," he told VOI when contacted. , Sunday, February 16th.

In addition, he said, the government, especially at the regional level, must continue to convey all forms of information related to the corona virus to the public. So, with this information, people's worries will disappear over time. Moreover, Indonesian people are also known to have a very high sense of empathy.

A family shows a photo of a participant in the observation (Tachta Citra Elfira / VOI)

"Our society has relatively high human empathy for these kinds of difficulties. Especially if the government can convince the public that the state's readiness to face this threat has been well planned," said Bayu.

For your information, based on existing data, 238 Indonesians who will now be sent home are spread across 29 provinces, namely: Aceh 13 people, Bali 2 people, Bangka Belitung 1 person, Banten 5 people. Then, Bengkulu and DIY 2 people, Gorontalo 1 person. Followed by DKI Jakarta with 16 people, Jambi 4 people, West Java 9 people, Central Java 10 people, East Java 65 people, West Kalimantan 4 people, East Kalimantan 15 people, South Kalimantan 8 people, North Kalimantan 19 people.

Then there were 4 people in Central Kalimantan, 2 people in Riau Islands, 1 person in Lampung, 4 people in NTB, 5 people in Papua, 9 people in West Papua, Riau 6 people. Continued in West Sulawesi 2 people, South Sulawesi 16 people, Central Sulawesi 2 people, Southeast Sulawesi 4 people, North Sumatra 4 people, and West Sumatra 1 person.