JAKARTA - The arrival of 174 tourists from Kunming, China arrived at Minangkabau International Airport in Padang Pariaman, on Sunday, January 26, yesterday, became the public spotlight. This is because the world community in particular is worried about the spread of the corona outbreak originating from Wuhan, China.
The arrival of tourists, which was welcomed by the local government, turned into a feeling of worry. Although the tour organizer, made sure that the Chinese tourist group who came to West Sumatra did not contract the Corona virus.
On social media Twitter, the hashtag #coronavirus is still a trending topic. Citizens are busy asking the Indonesian government to take a firm stand against the arrival of foreign tourists, especially from China. Rejection of Chinese tourists also came from Bukittinggi residents.
Responding to this, Member of Commission I DPR RI, Willy Aditya said that the government really needs to monitor the current situation. According to him, anticipatory steps need to be enforced by the government so that the safety, comfort and safety of Indonesian citizens are protected.
"The Chinese government itself has issued a travel ban for its citizens. This is actually legitimacy if Indonesia wants to temporarily ban the arrival of Chinese citizens to Indonesia. South Korea and America have issued a similar ban as well. So please the government to issue the same ban," he said when contacted by VOI, in Jakarta, Monday, January 27.
Willy emphasized that the ban on entry and exit of foreigners in an effort to anticipate the spread of this deadly virus must focus on the problem of health threats that must be faced. While the government also continues to monitor Indonesian citizens who are still in China, especially Wuhan and areas affected by the corona virus.
"The prohibition on the entry of workers from China to Indonesia, especially those related to strategic government projects, of course must be carried out very carefully. If it can be postponed, it may be prohibited, but if it cannot be postponed, it must be ensured that those who will enter have gone through adequate health test and continues to be monitored, "he explained.
The chairman of the DPP NasDem Party said the impact of the spread of corona had only touched non-health issues. In fact, it has an impact on decreasing shares of companies related to travel and tourism, but increases in shares of pharmaceutical companies.
"We cannot pawn the most important health issues and exchange them for tourism, economy and other issues. The government needs to focus on protecting Indonesian citizens both at home and in China and other countries that may be affected by the spread of this corona virus," he explained .
Welcome welcome from Pakgub @irwanprayitno to Chinese tourists this morning # VirusCorona😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/VkIViXNeGN
- Anak Kolong (@dedetsaugia) January 26, 2020
Even though Chinese tourists who come to Indonesia do provide quite high foreign exchange for the country. However, according to Willy, it will not be comparable to the health threat of the corona virus which can kill citizens.
"At home and abroad, Indonesian citizens are the responsibility of the government. We protect the country from the entry of the corona virus. But also don't forget that there are our citizens in China, hundreds of thousands of Indonesian citizens who are in infected areas in China. That must also be considered. and protective and rescue steps are prepared, "he said.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chairperson of Commission IX Nihayatul Wafiroh said public concerns about the corona virus stem from a lack of understanding how to deal with the virus. The government should have been more aggressive in disseminating this virus.
In addition, Nihayatul assessed that the central government should also take preventive steps by negotiating with the Chinese government to ask its citizens not to make tourist visits.
"This actually relates not only to the Indonesian government, but also to the Chinese government also prohibiting its citizens from traveling abroad. Policies exist in the government's ability to analyze which impact is most likely," he said.
High rejection of Chinese tourists, said Nihayatul because of concerns over the corona virus. Thus, the Government must also brief tourists who will visit Indonesia to postpone their visit.
"The government can tell the tourists that things are like this, so maybe it can be rescheduled once the situation has improved," he explained.
Previously, West Sumatra Deputy Governor Nasrul Abit asked Chinese tourists to visit his province to be accelerated. The request was made because Nasrul felt a sense of rejection from the public regarding the presence of tourists from the country where the corona virus first appeared.
"This concerns foreign relations. So we are negotiating with the Chinese and travel agents so that their visit to West Sumatra is shortened," said Nasrul, as quoted by Kompas.com.
As is known, a number of countries in the world issued a ban on visits from China as an anticipatory effort to avoid the spread of the deadly Corona virus from Wuhan. Not only the United States, South Korea, and even China itself prohibited citizens from areas affected by Corona to leave the country.
The Ombudsman Commissioner of the Republic of Indonesia, La Ode Ida, even asked the government to issue a temporary entry ban for workers and tourists from China. Furthermore, he even asked the government to collect data on workers from China who were already in Indonesia.
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