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Chief of the Public Relations and Protocol Bureau of the East Nusa Tenggara Provincial Secretariat Marius Ardu Jelamu (left) during a press briefing on the handling of COVID-19 on Monday (April 20, 2020) (Antara/ Benny Jahang)

The East Nusa Tenggara Province has shut down three border checkpoints with Timor Leste in a bid to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the province.

The three cross-border checkpoints are located in Motaain, Metamasin, and Wini, Chief of the Public Relations and Protocol Bureau of the East Nusa Tenggara Provincial Secretariat Marius Ardu Jelamu noted in a statement released on Monday.

"The closure of the three checkpoints along the border with Timor Leste came into effect as of Monday night (April 20)," he remarked.

After the three checkpoints were closed, citizens of Timor Leste intent on traveling to Timor Leste and Indonesia are not allowed to cross the border, he pointed out.

"(The ban) also applies to Indonesians keen on traveling to (the Timor Leste capital) Dili or the other way round when the three cross-border checkpoints are closed," he stated.

Jelamu explained that the three checkpoints were closed to break the chain of the spread of COVID-19 to all of East Nusa Tenggara.

"We hope that Timor Leste's citizens, who had planned to return home to Timor Leste via East Nusa Tenggara, would cancel the plan since the East Nusa Tenggara provincial government has officially closed the cross-border checkpoints," he noted.

Likewise, Indonesian citizens, currently in Timor Leste, are not allowed to enter East Nusa Tenggara when the cross-border checkpoints are closed, he pointed out. (ANTARA)