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Govt calls for calm as virus spreads
Self-preparedness: A worker produces protective suits at a factory in Nantong in China's eastern Jiangsu province on Monday to support the supply of medical materials during a deadly virus outbreak that began in Wuhan, Hubei province
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elf-preparedness: A worker produces protective suits at a factory in Nantong in China's eastern Jiangsu province on Monday to support the supply of medical materials during a deadly virus outbreak that began in Wuhan, Hubei province. At least 81 people have died since the new strain of coronavirus emerged in the city. (STR/AFP)
Government 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 and 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."
Besides maintaining a healthy immune system, Terawan also urged people not to "forget to pray".
Eleven patients in Indonesia — mostly tourists from 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 Monday evening.
"We will confirm [the status of the cases] and make an announcement," Terawan said, adding that standard operating procedures (SOPs) had been put in place to anticipate an outbreak.
The minister said 100 hospitals across the country had prepared the correct SOPs to contain the coronavirus and that it was the public’s responsibility to keep their bodies’ healthy and their immune systems strong.
Sulianto Saroso Hospital in Jakarta has been appointed the referral hospital at the national level, Health Ministry directorate general of prevention and disease control Anung Sugihantono said in a statement posted on the ministry's website. The hospital will also hold a webinar for 100 other referral hospitals.
State-owned airport operators Angkasa Pura I (AP) I and AP II have also made preparations to handle possible coronavirus cases at their airports.
"There are no direct flights from China at the 15 airports we run, but there are a few indirect ones at international airports," AP I president director Faik Fahmi said on Monday. "We have already coordinated with each KKP [port health office] to make sure tourists from China are scrutinized."
He said visitors with temperatures above 38 degrees Celsius would be taken through a special lane to be checked by KKP personnel, who are equipped with protective equipment such as face masks.
AP II president director Muhammad Awaluddin said all 19 airports operated by the company had been equipped with thermal scanners and that incoming passengers were given health alert cards to fill out on board the plane.
Chinese nationals are one of the largest groups of international visitors to Indonesia, with around 2 million Chinese tourists entering the country every year.
Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Wishnutama Kusubandio has said the government would not ban Chinese travelers from entering the country.
"No other countries have banned [visitors from China], why do we have to ban them? We just need to remain alert," Wishnutama said. "But people from Hubei province and Wuhan are banned."
The Foreign Ministry has also assured that none of the 243 Indonesian citizens in Wuhan and Hubei province have contracted the virus.
Chinese authorities have imposed a quarantine of the area and prohibited travel inside or outside the province.
“They are all healthy and no one has been reported to have contracted the 2019-nCoV [novel coronavirus],” Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said on Monday. “The embassy is arranging aid for our citizens in the quarantined area by coordinating with the authorities there.”
He added that even though there was scarcity due to the recent lockdown, the supply of basic daily necessities was still adequate.
As of Monday, the coronavirus had killed 81 people in China with more than 2,740 confirmed cases worldwide since it was first identified in Wuhan on Dec. 31, 2019, AFP reported. (dfr/mfp/aly)
