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45 foreign tourists stranded in Mentawai amid COVID-19 outbreak
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View of Nyang-yang Island in Southwest Siberut, Mentawai Islands, West Sumatra (Antara/Iggoy el Fitra)
Forty-five foreign tourists are stranded in Mentawai Islands in West Sumatra amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
"They came here on an excursion, but because of the pandemic, they cannot leave Mentawai," Mentawai Regent Yudas Sabaggalet said in West Sumatra’s provincial capital of Padang on Saturday as quoted by news agency Antara.
Yudas said the tourists, who hail from several European countries, the United States and Australia, would have to temporarily remain at one of the islands' resorts, as their home countries were currently in a state of lockdown. "They are also required to practice physical distancing and are not allowed to have contact with local residents."
Temporary stay permits for the tourists had been processed in coordination with immigration authorities, the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the police, he added.
Mentawai has closed its doors to foreign tourists looking to vacation in the surfers' paradise.
According to the latest data, the regency has 11 reported cases of people under surveillance (ODP) and one person under treatment (PDP). The latter is waiting for the result of a swab test.
"Hopefully, none of our residents have COVID-19 and Mentawai will be alright," said Yudas.
The ministry’s disease control and prevention director general, Achmad Yurianto, said on Friday that all of Indonesia's 34 provinces had reported COVID-19 infections, with Gorontalo reporting its first case on Friday.
