Eleven patients in Indonesia — mostly tourists from Wuhan, China — have tested negative for the coronavirus after being suspected of being infected. At least three other patients — two in Bandung, West Java, and one in Sorong, West Papua — were still under quarantine as of the time of writing.
overnment officials from several ministries have called for calm while detailing the measures they have taken to defend against the fast-spreading Wuhan coronavirus outbreak, as suspected cases begin to be recorded across the country.
President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said the public should be alert but not overly panicked or anxious.
"We are conducting surveillance in all our airports, especially for flights to and from China," he said during a visit to state-owned shipbuilder PT PAL in Surabaya, East Java, on Monday, according to a press release from the State Palace. "The most important thing is to be alert to the symptoms [of the virus]."
Meanwhile, in a joint press conference at the Transportation Ministry, Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto advised the public to keep their bodies and minds healthy to maintain the strength of their immune systems to avoid contracting the virus.
"The way to defend against [the virus] is with immunity [...] which can be influenced by the food we eat and our state of mind," Terawan said on Monday, "We can prevent [infection] as long as our immune system is strong, we live a healthy life, eat on time and have breakfast. What other aspects are there besides food? Our minds."
The minister also urged the public not to panic, adding that "only [around] 2,000 of [the China’s] 1.4 billion people" had fallen ill from the virus.
“Don’t panic, don't be anxious. Just eat well and live healthily. If you have a cough use a face mask. If we just sit all day without moving, our immunity will drop. Take a 15 to 30 minute walk,” he said, "I’m sure that by exercising, eating on time, drinking enough water and washing our hands before eating, we can defend [against the virus] properly."
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