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Residents walk past the Indonesia-East Timor border post of Mota Ain in Belu, East Nusa Tenggara (ANTARA)

Kupang - East Timor has implemented a lockdown from Thursday as a precautionary measure to check the spread of coronavirus in the region and has closed its border with Indonesia. The lockdown will be in place till April 19.

This was confirmed by Marciana Dominika Jone, head of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) regional office, on Thursday. NTT shares land borders with East Timor.

There are three border checkpoints between NTT and East Timor at Mota Ain, Meta Mauk/Mota Masin, and Wini. Mota Ain is the largest of the entry-points.

"We have just received information from the immigration attaché of the Indonesian Embassy in Dili, East Timor, that the country has enacted a lockdown from Thursday," Jone said in Kupang, the capital of NTT .

"The lockdown would certainly affect us. East Timor is making efforts to prevent any coronavirus transmission to their region, and we are aiming for the same thing — that COVID-19 does not come to our land, especially NTT," Jone noted.

During the lockdown, Indonesians who are currently in East Timor would not be able to return home to Atambua and Belu Municipality, in particular. Also, no one would be allowed to enter East Timor. The restriction will not only apply to people, but also to movement of goods.

NTT Governor Victor Laiskodat had earlier announced plans to shut down his province and close all entry gates. However, that did not pan out as the decision to impose a lockdown rests with the central government.  (ANTARA)