Coronavirus: Indonesia bans entry of foreign visitors from Iran, Italy and South Korea

Indonesia will reportedly ban the entry and transit of foreign nationals who have visited Iran, Italy or South Korea in the last 14 days, starting March 8, country's foreign minister announced. The travellers will have to provide a certificate issued by health authorities to prove good health, Minister Retno Marsudi reportedly said. She said that the passengers entering Indonesia will now have to undergo additional health screening procedures and safety protocols at the airport moving forward, confirmed media reports.

Indonesia has detected two confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus. Country’s President Joko Widodo told the reporters at the presidential Palace in the Capital that both the patients contracted the disease exposed to a Japanese national. The two had been hospitalized in Jakarta. The President said a 64-year-old woman and her 31-year-old daughter had tested positive after being in contact with a man who lived in Malaysia and had tested positive after returning to Indonesia.

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Indonesian Embassy shuts down

The Indonesian Ambassador to South Korea Umar Hadi reportedly announced that Indonesian Embassy and Indonesia Investment Promotion Centre (IIPS) located in Seoul, South Korea will temporarily suspend its operations after a confirmed case of COVID-19 was reported in an area nearby as per the reports. The closure, however, is temporary as extra measures were being taken to disinfect the embassy complex.

Amid the mounting fears about the nationwide spread of the COVID-19, Indonesians have started stockpiling supplies and purchasing masks sparking an acute shortage. The Jakarta police, in fact, seized an entire warehouse that hoarded the face masks in Jalan Marsekal Surya Darma city, located in Neglasari, Tangerang province. The warehouse had 600,000 pieces of face masks, at least 180 packs of 360,000 pieces each of Remedi Brand masks and approximately 214,000 pieces of Volca and Well brand masks hidden, confirmed media reports.

(With reports from agencies)

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