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s the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus continues to claim lives in Saudi Arabia, the Indonesian government should take drastic action to prevent more victims, given the thousands of Indonesians traveling to and from the Middle Eastern country each week.

We call on the government to immediately place a ban on traveling to Saudi Arabia, even though such a drastic decision will spark protests from many parties, including pilgrims and businesspeople.

The government has launched various efforts to raise awareness among Indonesians who want to go to Saudi Arabia, in an attempt to prevent them from contracting the disease, but this is far from enough.

Every year between 400,000 and 600,000 people visit the Holy Land for umrah (minor haj pilgrimage) and no less than 200,000 Indonesians go on the haj.

In addition, hundreds of thousands of Indonesians try their luck in Saudi Arabia. The kingdom is among the most-favored destination of our migrant workers, where men take up various blue collar jobs and women work as domestic helpers. Batches of workers heading for Saudi Arabia are a daily scene in our airports.

Health Minister Nafsiah Mboi does not need to have lengthy consultations with other ministers or state institutions such as the Religious Affairs Ministry. Without any hesitation, she should strongly recommend to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono that a travel ban be put in place.

This difficult decision should be taken because the state is obliged by the Constitution to take all measures to ensure the safety and security of its citizens.

An Indonesian patient died in Medan, North Sumatra on Monday. The goverment suspect the patient, who had just returned from Saudi Arabia, was suffering from the contagious disease. This was likely the first fatal victim from Indonesia.

 As of Monday, the government had not undertaken any serious effort to further prevent an outbreak of the disease. It was business as usual at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. There was no sign of special checks being performed on incoming passengers, compared to when the Avian flu epidemic spread throughout the region.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), coronaviruses form a large family of viruses that cause a range of illnesses in humans, from the common cold to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). Viruses in this family also cause a number of animal diseases. The strain of coronavirus that causes MERS was identified in 2012 in Saudi Arabia.

Quoting the kingdom'€™s government data, Associated Press reported on Monday that the disease had caused 112 deaths in the kingdom since September 2012. At least 411 were infected, mostly in Riyadh, Jeddah and Mecca.

The government should put aside any political considerations and for the sake of the health of Indonesians, Yudhoyono should take immediate action to prevent more victims.

We call on the President to halt travel to Saudi Arabia until the disease is under control.