VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Jakarta – Indonesian Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto said four Indonesians refused to get evacuated while three others failed the screening, conducted by the Chinese authority. As a result, the total number of Indonesian airlifted from the Chinese city of Wuhan reached 238 people.

"There are 238 evacuees, according to the data," Putranto said in Jakarta on Sunday.

The minister said that he would recheck the data as the authority had recorded 245 Indonesians in its initial evacuation plan.

"Four people refuse to be evacuated because they feel more comfortable there (in Wuhan). Although we have an offer (the evacuation)," he said.

The four Indonesians have signed written statement letters explaining their reasons for not joining the emergency evacuation.

Meanwhile, three other Indonesians failed the screening conducted by the Chinese authority prior to their evacuation.

"They do not pass the screening. Chinese authority has conducted three-phase screening," he elaborated.

Putranto admitted that the screening conducted by the Chinese authority has helped Indonesia assure that all Indonesians airlifted from the city are in good health.

"This has relieved us that all returning home has been confirmed to be healthy by the Chinese authority," he remarked.

However, the Indonesian Government would need to assure the evacuees' health condition after they arrived in the country by conducting a thorough observation based on the World Health Organization (WHO) standards.

"This check and recheck are in accordance with the WHO standards," he said.

The chartered airplane carrying Indonesians from Wuhan, the ground zero of the coronavirus outbreak, had arrived at Hang Nadim Airport in Batam, Riau Islands at 8.45 a.m. on Sunday.

All the passengers were directly flown to Natuna Islands where the Indonesian authorities would observe their health.

The Indonesian Air Force (TNI AU) prepared three planes to carry them to Natuna. (ANTARA)