However, 107 foreign tourists had embarked the cruise ship from Bali Island, Head of the Benoa Seaport Authority Agustinus Maun told journalists in Denpasar, the capital of Bali Province, on Monday.
Before boarding the cruise ship, the local health workers and the vessel’s staff had checked the health condition of 107 foreign tourists. They were all confirmed to be healthy, he remarked.
From the Indonesian resort island of Bali, the cruise ship, with 452 crew onboard, is scheduled to continue its voyage to Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Monday afternoon, he noted.
Before anchoring at the Benoa Seaport, Viking Sun was denied permission by the local authorities to anchor at the Tanjung Mas Port in Semarang, Central Java, and Tanjung Perak Port in Surabaya, East Java, owing to rising concerns over the novel coronavirus outbreak.
In another development, in Jakarta, the Indonesian Health Ministry's Disease Control and Prevention Directorate General had requested 188 crew members of Dream World and 69 crew members of Diamond Princess cruise ships to undergo a 14-day self-quarantine after departing from Sebaru Kecil Island, Jakarta's Thousand Islands.
"The Dream World crew members have been quarantined for 10 days, and they will have entered their 14th day of quarantine period this Thursday," Disease Control and Prevention Director General at the Health Ministry Achmad Yurianto stated.
During their stay on the island, they were directed to stay put in their respective houses for self-quarantine after being allowed to leave the island later, Yurianto, concurrently the government's spokesman for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, stated.
The health condition of Dream World’s crew members, evacuated from the waters of Durian Strait in the Riau Islands Province on Feb 26, 2020, is so far good, he noted, adding that they were recommended to continue to wear medical masks and curtail unnecessary outdoor activities after leaving the island.
"We have recommended them to wear medical masks, reduce unnecessary outdoor activities, and continue to maintain a healthy lifestyle, including consuming nourishing food," he explained.
In the event of becoming symptomatic with COVID-19, they are advised to visit the nearest hospital for a medical examination. "Having fever cannot be judged as having symptom of COVID-19 but maintaining vigil is important," he stated.
The order to conduct a self-quarantine for 14 days after leaving the Sebaru Kecil Island is not merely imposed on the 188 crew members of Dream World but is also applicable to 69 crew of the Diamond Princess cruise ship that were evacuated from the PLN Sumuradem Port in Indramayu, West Java, on March 1, 2020.
The self-quarantine is also imposed on the Health Ministry's 35 personnel and 40 personnel of the Indonesian Defence Force (TNI) serving the two cruise ships' crew members, he remarked.
The Indonesian government has put in place precautionary measures since the early stage of the coronavirus outbreak that had first struck the Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of December 2019.
In addition to installing thermal scanners at the country's airports and seaports as well as making preparations at hospitals across the archipelago, the Indonesian government had repatriated several hundred of its citizens.
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Related news: MV Viking Sun denied docking at Semarang Port over COVID-19
Translator: Naufal FY, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Atman Ahdiat
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