China said on Monday that the death toll from a deadly outbreak of coronavirus jumped to 80 as the hard-hit province of Hubei announced 24 new fatalities, while total confirmed cases nationwide rose sharply to 2,744.
While there were no new deaths confirmed outside Hubei, the national tally of verified infections rose by 769, around half of them in Hubei, the National Health Commission said. It said 461 of those infected were in serious condition.
China has sealed off Hubei in the country's centre, an unprecedented operation affecting tens of millions of people and intended to slow transmission of the respiratory virus.
The previously unknown contagion has caused global concern because of its similarity to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) pathogen, which originated in China in 2002 and went on to kill hundreds of people not only in mainland China, but also in Hong Kong and further afield.
Drastic travel restrictions have been imposed outside the epicentre, with Shandong province and four cities - Beijing, Shanghai, Xian and Tianjin - announcing bans on long-distance buses entering or leaving.
The move will affect millions of people travelling over the Lunar New Year holiday, which authorities said would be extended while the government works to contain the virus.
The densely-populated southern province of Guangdong, Jiangxi in central China, and three cities made it mandatory for residents to wear face masks in public.
Originating in Hubei's capital of Wuhan, the virus has spread throughout China and across the world, with cases confirmed in around a dozen countries including as far away as Europe and the United States. (AL JAZEERA)
Head of West Nusa Tenggara Office's Cooperation Division of Education Development Agency (LPP) said two Indonesian students from West Nusa Tenggara Province keep staying at their university's dormitory in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, but they are well.
The agency also keep coordinating with those from the Indonesian Embassy in Beijing to make sure the students' condition, Head of LPP-West Nusa Tenggara Office's Cooperation Division Imanuella Andilolo said in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara, on Sunday.
"We keep monitoring their condition there," she said, adding that there are four students of West Nusa Tenggara who pursue their study in Wuhan, China, under a scholarship scheme but two others had returned to Indonesia for holiday.
The students who still stay at their dormitory receive regular check-ups on their body temperature everyday from the local Chinese authority to make sure that they do not suffer any coronavirus symptom, Andilolo said.
Their university authority also reopen the university's canteens to help the students get food without leaving the campus area, she added.
As of Sunday, the coronavirus has claimed the lives of 56 people in China, and many other countries, including the United States of America and Canada, have announced their confirmed cases.
However, none of confirmed cases has been found in Indonesia. Apart from this reality, since the World Health Organization (WHO) issued its official statement on the outbreak of coronavirus in China, the Indonesian Government has stayed alert.
As part of its precautionary measures, thermal scanners have been installed at various airports around the archipelago for screening international passengers.
The thermal scanners are aimed at detecting any foreign tourist suffering from the symptom of this novel (new) coronavirus.
The first case of coronavirus was declared by Chinese authorities after a person with pneumonia was hospitalized in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, according to a WHO's official statement.
As published in its official statement on January 9, 2020, WHO revealed that the "Chinese investigators conducted gene sequencing of the virus, using an isolate from one positive patient sample."
As for the outbreak of the coronavirus, ANTARA quoted a WHO report from its official website on Thursday as saying that it was informed of a cluster of cases of pneumonia of unknown cause in Wuhan on December 31, 2019,
In addition to providing care to patients and isolating new cases as they are identified, Chinese public health officials have reported that they remain focused on continued contact tracing, conducting environmental assessments at the wholesale market, and investigations to identify the pathogen causing the outbreak.
WHO is closely monitoring this event and is in active communication with counterparts in China. In line with standard protocols for any public health event, an incident management system has been activated across the three levels of WHO (country office, regional office and headquarters) and the Organization is prepared to mount a broader response if needed.
WHO further revealed that the preliminary determination of a novel virus would assist authorities in other countries to conduct disease detection and response. Over the past week, people with symptoms of pneumonia and reported travel history to Wuhan had been identified at international airports.
"WHO does not recommend any specific measures for travelers. WHO advises against the application of any travel or trade restrictions on China based on the information currently available," it said.(ANTARA)
Jakarta (VOI News) - Indonesia and India have been establishing bilateral and global diplomatic cooperation for more than 70 years. The cooperation of the two countries showed an increase since Indonesia and India, cooperation, trade and international affairs in 2018. It was stated by Indonesian Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning / National Land Agency Head Sofyan Djalil representing Indonesian government in the reception of the Republic Day of India in Jakarta, Friday (24/01). Sofyan Djalil believes Indonesia-India relations will be even brighter in the future.
Last year our two leaders had met two times. Both sides agreed to boost trade and investment in potential sectors, such as agriculture, infrastructure, energy, health and in pharmaceuticals. They also committed to boost the agreement of bilateral trade target of 50 billion US dollars by 2025. We agreed to extend collaboration in strategy, defence industry, academic, science and technology including outer space. I am confident that if we build strong ties of friendship and complementary peace between our two economies, the future will be bright for India and Indonesia.
Meanwhile, Indian Ambassador to Indonesia, Pradeep Kumar Rawat, in his remarks said India and Indonesia have much in common, even the leaders of the two countries also have similarities in terms of a development vision that emphasized the interests of the people. (VOI / AHM)
Yogyakarta (VOI News) - The international world faces uncertainty about peace. That is because there is no strong will to maintain agreements that are built and based on mutual awareness. It was stated by Vice President Ma’ruf Amin in his remarks at the Panel Discussion at the meeting of the Eurasia Centrist Democrat International Forum (CDI) in Yogyakarta on Friday (24/01).
“Whether we realize it or not, human civilization is currently facing a very serious challenge from the understanding, attitudes and actions of some of us who do not respect or even renege on agreements. Therefore it is a duty for all of us who love peace, love democracy, to advance dialogue again and build and maintain agreements,” said Vice President Ma’ruf Amin.
Before the CDI member countries, Vice President Maruf Amin said, Indonesia wanted to share that Indonesia consisted of 300 ethnic groups and lived in more than 17 thousand islands of the archipelago and each of them had different cultures, languages and religions or beliefs. According to the Vice President, Indonesia might be the most heterogeneous country in the world, but Indonesia remains united because the Indonesian people are able to maintain the agreement that becomes the basis for the formation of the 1945 Indonesian Constitution, Pancasila and the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia. (VOI/AHMAD FAISAL/RINI/AHM)