VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) has urged the government to install thermal scanners at all departure terminals for both domestic and international flights at all airports across the country to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

"At the moment, the government has just installed the thermal scanners at the areas of arrival terminals for international flights," YLKI Chairman Tulus Abadi said in a press statement that ANTARA received in Jakarta on Tuesday.

The presence of those thermal scanners would create a sense of security and comfort for passengers, cabin crew, and other people at the airports so that their mobility would not be disrupted by the threats of COVID-19, he said.

Since the early stages of COVID-19 outbreak, the airport authorities in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Chinese cities have installed thermal scanners, he added.

The Indonesian government has put in place precautionary measures since the early stage of the coronavirus outbreak that first struck the Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of December 2019.

In addition to installing thermal scanners at the country's airports and seaports, as well as making preparations at hospitals across the archipelago, the Indonesian government repatriated several hundred citizens.

On February 2, 238 Indonesian nationals were airlifted from Wuhan, China, to then be quarantined in Natuna District's Riau Islands Province. All of these Indonesians were found to be healthy and reunited with their families.

The Indonesian government also repatriated 188 Indonesians employed as crew members of the cruise ship World Dream Liner, and 69 Indonesians employed as cabin crew on the Diamond Princess cruise ship.

The World Dream cruise ship's crew members and 69 cabin crew of the Diamond Princess had been sent to Sebaru Kecil Island, Jakarta's Thousand Islands, for a 14-day quarantine.

On March 2, 2020, President Jokowi declared that two Indonesians had tested positive for COVID-19. They were quarantined in an isolated room at the Jakarta-based Sulianti Saroso Infectious Diseases Hospital.

The deadly virus outbreak, which has spread to 109 countries and territories around the world, has claimed at least 4,000 lives – most of whom are in China – and infected over 113,000 people worldwide.

The Indonesian authority has reported that there have been 27 confirmed COVID-19 cases within the country, as of Tuesday.

Two Dutch Embassy Staffs have become victims of speedboat crash in  Sebangau river, Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan on Monday (9/3)  are in stable condition.  It was stated by  Head of Culture and Communication of the Embassy of the Netherlands,Yolande Melsert, in Jakarta on Tuesday (10/3) to Voice of Indonesia.

"Well there are two people involved. And they are stable now. So they are OK. One is properly coming back soon, and the other one has to stay at the hospital for a while. We don’t know exactly at the moment, but we are monitoring this constantly, so they are fine," said Yolande.

The speedboat  accident in which the Presidential Security Forces (Paspampres) personnel and their entourages from the Embassy  of the Netherlands staffs in Jakarta were on board, occured in the Sebangau River, Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan, on Monday (9/3). The two Dutch Embassy staffs are part of an advanced team that inspected  the places  to prepare for the state visit of the King and Queen of the Netherlands, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima to a number of places in Palangkaraya on 11th to 13th March 2020. (VOI/AHM/edit r) / TRANS:AF

Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Sigrid Kaag, in Jakarta, Monday (9/3/2020) evening. (ANTARA)

Jakarta - The Netherlands is targeting to intensify trade partnership with Indonesia, particularly in sustainable businesses, Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Sigrid Kaag stated.

“The entire theme is smart solutions for a sustainable future. It is all about sustainable, inclusive development,” she told ANTARA in Jakarta, Monday evening, after welcoming 180 delegates of the Dutch economic mission held parallel to the State Visit of The King and Queen of the Netherlands.

Some 180 participants, representing 130 Dutch companies and knowledge institutions, are scheduled to participate in a series of trade-related activities, such as seminars, field visits, and networking events with Indonesian counterparts in the mission led by several high-ranking officials, including Kaag.

“We are looking forward to building even deeper partnerships and collaborative platforms with Indonesia, both government-to-government and also business-to business,” she revealed.

Kaag explained that the mission during this visit bears the theme ‘Smart Solutions for a Sustainable Future’ under which the Netherlands seeks to establish more sustainable businesses with regard to the environment, specifically in the fields of agriculture and food; life sciences and health; maritime and integrated coastal zone, and water management; waste management – circular economy and water technology; and aviation.

Several partnership documents are expected to be inked by the two countries during the visit conducted on March 9-13.

“It is all about sustainable, inclusive development, and all the MoUs and potential business contracts will be anchored around those themes,” Kaag expounded.

Steering clear from divulging details on the number of partnership documents due to be inked in the visit, she said that the number “is quite significant”.

She highlighted that sustainability had become the priority in forging novel partnerships or continuing longstanding cooperation. “We have to think, act, and invest in a sustainable manner. It is the only way, if we think about the wellbeing of the people and the planet,” she reiterated.

The visit of the Dutch economic mission is held parallel to the State Visit of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima to Indonesia. Apart from Kaag, Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management Cora van Nieuwenhuizen, Minister of State Sybilla Dekker, and Vice Minister of Agriculture, Nature, and Food Quality Jan Kees Goet also led the delegations. (ANTARA)

Following the direct order from President Jokowi, Head of Riau Island’s Center for Settlement Infrastructure Albert Reinaldo announced that the construction of a hospital specifically built to treat communicable diseases has started at Riau Island’s Galang Island, Batam City. 

The sub-agency of the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry’s directorate-general announced that the land at the island has been cleared and awaits for the next phase; land maturation. 

“The work has started on Saturday, March 7. Land clearing is nearly done,” said Albert at Batam on Sunday, March 8. “The hospital we will build there is hoped to be free from floods.”

The hospital is set on 7 - 8 hectares of land sitting over land formerly used as “camp Vietnam” but did not reveal plans as what would be done on the old hospital facility that remains in the location. As of now, a hospital and house of worship reminiscent of the island’s older facilities remain. 

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo previously ordered for the construction of a hospital in an isolated location to specially treat patients with highly-infectious diseases such as the current COVID-19 coronavirus global outbreak that originated from China’s province of Wuhan. 

The president also ambitiously ordered the project to be completed within one month. 

Moreover, to meet the president’s deadline, the Galang Island hospital will be constructed using the same method used by the Chinese government in building the two hospitals to treat coronavirus patients that was completed under two weeks. 

“We will adopt a modular system such as the one in Wuhan. Which we hope will accelerate the construction apart from the materials that are being produced in Jakarta,” said Albert. (tempo.co)