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Govt mulling evacuation of Indonesians from Diamond Princess: Muhadjir
“We will not evacuate infected citizens because they have to undergo treatment in Japan. We will only evacuate the uninfected ones. However, it is important to note that this is different from Wuhan since they are on a ship,” says minister.
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The Diamond Princess cruise ship, with around 3,600 people quarantined on board due to fears of the new coronavirus, is seen anchored at the Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama, Japan, on Feb 10. (AFP/CHARLY TRIBALLEAU)
The government is considering the evacuation of the Indonesians on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship, Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Muhadjir Effendy said on Thursday.
“I already delivered the options to the President, and he will come up with the decision within two days. I believe he will make a concise decision like when we evacuated our people from Wuhan,” Muhadjir said, referring to China's epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak.
As for the evacuation plans for Indonesian citizens on the Diamond Princess, Muhadjir went on to say, that the government had to think of another approach since the situation was different from that in Wuhan.
“We will not evacuate infected citizens because they have to undergo treatment in Japan. We will only evacuate the uninfected ones. However, it is important to note that this is different from Wuhan since they are on a ship,” he added.
Muhadjir also explained that citizens who were not infected by the virus would still have to undergo a quarantine period.
“[The quarantine will] probably be in Natuna [Riau Islands]. We’ve already offered several options to the President, and he may still consider it,” he said.
A recent update from President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo stated that as many as four Indonesians aboard the Diamond Princess have tested positive for COVID-19, a disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
The ship, which carried 3,711 people, has been quarantined in Yokohama, Japan, since last week following the discovery of an infected passenger who disembarked the ship in Hong Kong last month. There are 78 Indonesian crew members on board the vessel.
“We are still discussing the possibility of an evacuation with the Japanese authorities,” President Jokowi said on Thursday.
