Ministry Of Transportation Ensures Eight International Airports Have Thermal Scanner Installed

Airport runway. (Irfan Meidianto / VOI)

JAKARTA - The government, through the Directorate General of Air Transportation of the Ministry of Transportation, has confirmed that eight international airports have installed thermal scanners. This was done in order to prevent the spread of the corona virus.

"All eight international airports are equipped with a thermal scanner to determine the temperature of passengers," said Director of Aviation Security at the Ministry of Transportation Mohammad Alwi in Jakarta, Thursday, January 30.

Alwi also said that it was possible to carry the temperature measuring device on board and the pilot would coordinate if there were passengers who indicated a fever so that they would be separated from other passengers when landing.

"The procedure for the steps has been explained if there are passengers who are shivering with heat, the Pilot in Command will automatically communicate with the Air Traffic Controller, so that the aircraft is positioned separately, not interfering with," he said.

If there is a need for spraying the aircraft with disinfectant liquid, Alwi said it is possible if it is in accordance with the rules of civil aviation safety (CASR).

Regarding the flight ban, he said that currently there has been no extension of the flight ban and currently the flight ban has only been enforced from and to Wuhan, China.

Alwi said all flight regulations are 90 percent in accordance with the rules of the International Civil Aviation Association (ICAO), so everything is in accordance with procedures.

"We also follow the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, so we refer to the policies and decisions we take," he said.

He said there were 2.17 million Chinese citizens in Indonesia, both who lived permanently or on temporary visits. There are 243 Indonesian citizens (WNI) in Hubei Province.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health is preparing a quarantine for Indonesian citizens who are evacuated from Wuhan, the Ministry of Health's Director General of Disease Prevention and Control (P2P), Anung Sugihantono, said that his party has prepared a number of options regarding the evacuation of Indonesian citizens (WNI) from Wuhan, one of which is a place for quarantine.

He said, the handling of Indonesian citizens from Wuhan could vary depending on the time of repatriation. In this case, the Ministry of Health coordinates with related institutions.

"The evacuation is an option that is being considered, is being prepared by the Indonesian government in line with developments in Wuhan and the policies of the Chinese government," he said.