Don't make such a statement unless it comes from the Health Ministry,Jakarta (ANTARA) - Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto has reprimanded an official of state-owned lender Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) for making a statement on an alleged case of coronavirus that caused panic among the public. "Don't make such a statement unless it comes from the Health Ministry," he told the BRI official in front of the Huawei Office at BRI Building 2 in Jakarta Thursday.
It is not the BRI Office but the Health Ministry that has the authority to announce a suspected case of coronavirus, he said.
"It is not in your capacity to announce the virus and so on but that of the health minister," he added.
The ranks and file of the Health Ministry have done their utmost to anticipate the possibility of the virus spreading to Indonesia, he stated.
"I will check all state entry points. We are now at the alert status 1, so we work round the clock," he said.
The health minister expressed regret over the press statement quoting the BRI official and reprimanded the journalists, asking them not to write stories that cause public unrest and harm the bank itself.
"Imagine if the bank was operational, then what would have happened? That's why you must wait for the health minister to make a statement after all details have been checked. Don't make any statement without evidence," he said.
Earlier, BRI Corporate Secretary Hari Purnomo issued a press statement following an allegation that an employee of Huawei Office at the BRI Building 2 suffered from coronavirus.
"About information on one of the workers/employees of Huawei at the BRI Building in Jakarta suffering from nCov virus, we announce that Bank BRI has coordinated with Huawei and other relevant parties to investigate the veracity of the information," he said.
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Translator: Katriana/Suharto
Editor: Mulyo Sunyoto
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