On Friday, they conclude their 14-day observation period. They have, so far, been in good healthJakarta (ANTARA) - The World Dream cruise ship’s 188 crew members will immediately be reunited with their respective families after completing their 14-day quarantine amid novel coronavirus (COVID-19) concerns on Sebari Kecil Island, part of Jakarta, on Friday.
"On Friday, they conclude their 14-day observation period. They have, so far, been in good health," Joint Defense Area Command I Commander Rear Admiral Yudo Margono informed journalists on Kepala Island, Jakarta's Thousand Islands District, on Thursday.
Before being reunited with their respective families, the crew members of World Dream will be transported to the pier of the Military Naval Command (Kolinlamil) in Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta, aboard the Indonesian Naval Ship KRI-Semarang 594, he revealed.
At the pier, the crew members will be received by representatives of their regional administrations. Each will also be handed over health certificates from the Indonesian Health Ministry, Margono revealed.
Some 60 percent of the 188 crew members are from Bali Province. They worked as chefs on the World Dream cruise ship.
The Indonesian government has selected Sebaru Kecil Island as the quarantine site for COVID-19 disease for 188 Indonesians from the World Dream liner and 69 Indonesians employed as cabin crew members of the Diamond Princess cruise liner.
COVID-19, which firstly struck in the Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of December 2019, claimed at least 4,500 lives and infected over 120 thousand people worldwide. In Indonesia, the virus has infected 34 people and killed one.
Taking into account the increasing death toll and rising spread of this virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic.
The Indonesian government has put in place precautionary measures since the early stage of the coronavirus outbreak that 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 has repatriated several hundred citizens.
On February 2, a total of 238 Indonesian nationals were airlifted from Wuhan, China, to then be quarantined in Natuna District's Riau Islands Province. All these Indonesians were found to be healthy and were reunited with their families.
On March 2, 2020, President Jokowi announced that two Indonesians had tested positive for COVID-19. The number of infected confirmed by the government has tended to steadily rise over the past days.
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Translator: Fauzi, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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