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View all search resultsIn spite of the reassurances given by Indonesian and Chinese authorities, some Indonesian citizens stranded in China are still expressing an eagerness to return home.
he start of this week saw a resumption of activities in China after authorities extended the Lunar New Year holidays over concerns about the coronavirus outbreak, including for thousands of Indonesian citizens who had chosen to stay put on the mainland.
Private sector players began reopening their doors on Monday, a week after civil servants resumed their duties, according to the Indonesian Embassy in Beijing. People started to pack the streets of Beijing on the first day that shops and restaurants went back to business.
Despite this facade of normality, however, Indonesian Ambassador Djauhari Oratmangun still urged all Indonesian citizens who had stayed in China to remain vigilant and take all necessary precautions to ensure they are unaffected by what the World Health Organization has labelled a global public health emergency.
“We consistently call on Indonesians in China to avoid crowds [and] take care of their hygiene to prevent the spread of the coronavirus,” Djauhari said during a video conference with officials at the Office of the Presidential Chief of Staff in Jakarta on Monday.
The embassy recorded that at least 1,890 Indonesians are still living in mainland China – 722 people are registered with the embassy in Beijing, while 841 and 327 others are respectively registered at the Shanghai and Guangzhou Indonesian missions.
They are all healthy, the envoy said.
The number of Indonesians in China has fallen sharply since December last year when about 16,500 citizens were in the country, since many chose to return home to take advantage of the extended holiday season imposed by the Chinese authorities, Djauhari said. Most students have also chosen to remain longer in Indonesia following a recommendation by the embassy.
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