Jakarta - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) confirmed, Monday, that the first case of coronavirus (COVID-19) had emerged in Indonesia, with two Indonesian nationals -- a 64-year-old mother and her 31-year-old daughter -- testing positive for the infection. Jokowi stated in the company of Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto and State Secretary Minister Pratikno that the two Indonesian nationals were in contact with a Japanese resident who traveled to Indonesia and headed to Malaysia.

"Last week, we had received a report that a Japanese resident had travelled to Indonesia and then headed to Malaysia, and there he tested positive for coronavirus. Our team had tracked this person's activities when he was here. We found that the Japanese was in contact with two Indonesians, a 64-year-old mother and her 31-year-old daughter. They were examined by our team. They were sick. And this morning I received a report from the Minister of Health that the mother and her daughter are positive for the infection caused by the virus," Jokowi said.

However, Jokowi affirmed that his government had already made necessary preparations for the outbreak since the start. Jokowi also revealed that the government had set up a joint team comprising of military, police, and civilian members to manage the outbreak. Moreover, the standard operation is aligned with international standard and a special budget that is prioritized for this matter. (VOI/DIPTA/ANTARA/AHM)