The Bad News Is That We Cannot Immediately Evacuate Indonesian Citizens From Wuhan

Airplane passengers at the International Arrival Gate of Soetta Airport (Irfan Meidianto / VOI)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) is working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemenlu) to ensure that Indonesian students or citizens (WNI) who are in Wuhan, China are in good condition. As is known, after Wuhan was locked down, the city was like a dead city.

Indonesian students in Wuhan hope that the government through the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia (KBRI) in Beijing will immediately evacuate them from Wuhan to a safer city in China after the spread of the novel coronavirus there. Director General of Disease Prevention and Control of the Ministry of Health Anung Sugihantono emphasized that 242 Indonesian students who were in Wuhan were in good condition.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has communicated with us the evacuation steps. This is not easy but the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has prepared the worst contingency plan for our citizens who are in Hubei province," he said during a press conference at the Ministry of Health Building, Jalan Rasuna Said, Kuningan, Jakarta, Monday, January 27.

Anung explained that currently no one is allowed to enter and leave isolated areas, according to the direction of the Chinese government. Two Sriwijaya Air and Lion Air airlines directing from I Gusti Ngurah Rai Bali International Airport to Wuhan have also been stopped.

Contingency plans have been prepared. However, said Anung, at this time it was not possible to bring students out of Wuhan. In the 2005 International Health Regulation (IHR), it is stated that if a country or region is subject to a lockdown, the evacuation stage will be long.

"Once he can get out, still in a place that is not locked out there is no contamina. He must be observed for two incubation periods. So if he could evacuate, he would definitely evacuate him not from Hubei to Indonesia, surely he could only go to China where there were no outbreaks. like now. That too must be quarantined, we can't go anywhere first, "he explained.

According to Anung, the intended quarantine does not mean that the person has to be hospitalized. Hospital quarantine only applies to those who do experience the indicated symptoms. If Indonesian students have been sent home, they must also undergo a period of quarantine procedures. The examination was carried out since he arrived in Indonesia.

"Examination since arrival and then we also quarantine at our place. If everything is negative there is nothing, then we will allow them to meet with the general public to carry out activities," he said.

According to Anung, the ideal incubation period for the novel coronavirus is one to 14 days. However, he also did not blame the incubation data released by WHO, which was two to ten days.

"Nothing is true, we are still studying everything. When it comes to risk, we are looking for the highest, so if I talk about how much is the ideal incubation? Yes, 14 days. But if it is at least ten days if the vital signs are still good, it is still allowed in a limited way, "he explained.