JAKARTA - As many as 118 Indonesian citizens (WNI) who became the crew of the World Dream ship will be picked up back to Indonesia. Later they will also undergo an observation period to ensure that no Indonesian citizen is affected by the corona virus or Covid-19 outbreak.
The Indonesian government places Indonesian citizens who will be observed for 14 days on Sebaru Kecil Island. The island, which is located in the Thousand Islands, is a former location for drug rehabilitation.
The Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture (Menko PMK) Muhadjir Effendy did not want to repeat the residents' rejection of the presence of Indonesian citizens who had previously been observed on Natuna Island.
Therefore, Sebaru Kecil Island is the right choice. Apart from the fact that the island is uninhabited, other islands around it are also uninhabited.
"This island used to be a place for drug rehabilitation. The facilities are complete, there is air conditioning as well as the observation time in Natuna and we will make sure they are comfortable," said Coordinating Minister for PMK Muhadjir Effendy in Jakarta, Monday, February 24.
Muhadjir said that the ship carrying Indonesian citizens to be observed was already heading to the sea, around the Riau region. The evacuation of 188 Indonesian citizens was carried out by way of transfer (boat to boat) from the World Dream Ship to the dr. Soeharso belongs to the TNI.
"The estimation of the boat to boat transfer will be carried out on February 26 at 10.00 in the Durian Strait and will arrive at Sebaru Kecil Island on February 28 at around 09.00 WIB," he said.
He continued, observations on Sebaru Kecil Island were carried out following the methods of the WHO. The procedure is the same as during the observation of Indonesian citizens from Wuhan, China, on Natuna Island, Riau Islands, some time ago, which was for 14 days.
Head of BNPB Doni Monardo (wearing a vest) accompanied by the Commander of the Armed Forces II Rear Admiral TNI Herru Kusmanto and the ranks of the Indonesian Navy after visiting the KRI DR. Soeharso. More: https://t.co/C5ZEmutqMX pic.twitter.com/o1z0xXeZ4e
- BNPB Indonesia (@BNPB_Indonesia) February 21, 2020
A joint team that is experienced and trained in conducting observations in Natuna will again be assigned to handle observations on Sebaru Kecil Island.
Minister of Health Terawan Agus Putranto added that the government will focus on evacuating Indonesian citizens on the World Dream cruise ship first because the risk is the least.
"We are just concentrating on the World Dream because that is what we are closest to. The President's directives must be carried out with great care. We have also prepared several scenarios, hopefully everything will go well," said Terawan.
Meanwhile, the central government is still looking for ways to evacuate the 74 other Indonesian citizens who were on the Diamond Princess cruise ship at the Port of Yokohama, Japan. Until now, the Indonesian government is still communicating with Japanese government authorities regarding the process of repatriating these Indonesian citizens.
Terawan said that the Indonesian government did not want to be rushed when carrying out an evacuation. Given that 264 million Indonesians must be saved from the Covid-19 virus outbreak, while still paying attention to Indonesian citizens in Japan.
"We are careful. Our country is very careful and follows the rules set by the World Health Organization (WHO) and we will do it in an orderly and strict manner," said Terawan.
For information, the Diamond Princess ship has undergone a quarantine process after a number of passengers and crew were positively infected with the Covid-19 virus, including nine Indonesian citizens from Indonesia.
The nine Indonesian citizens are currently undergoing treatment at a hospital in Japan. Apart from these nine people, there are a number of other Indonesian citizens who are still on the Diamond Princess cruise ship.
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