Lockdown policy done by Malaysian government impacted to the Malaysian citizen activities going out to the nearest neighboring country, namely Indonesia, particularly  to the Riau Islands region which has direct border with the state of Johor Bahru. The policy is taken as an effort to curb the spread of a new corona virus or Covid-19 in Malaysia. As a result, the shipping lines that so far have been connecting borders between the two countries, one of which is the shipping route of the Johor Bahru Stulang Laut port to the port of Sri Bintan Pura, Tanjung Pinang City, Riau Islands has been forced to stop operating. The Head of the Tanjungpinang Port Authority (KSOP)  Mappeati to RRI on Tuesday stated that  the termination of the shipping route started on Tuesday at 23:00 West Indonesia Time or 00.00 (zero-zero) Wednesday, March 18 Malaysian time.  Therefore, all ship fleets owned by  a number of Malaysian operators and local shipping companies have to stop operating. The association further said  the suspension of the ship's operation is only for a short time,it will be 14 days ahead. The situation also automatically affect  Indonesian citizens from  Riau Islands who are currently still in Malaysia.  If  they have not left the country since Tuesday, they must wait  for 2 weeks, then they will get a permission  to return to Tanjungpinang, Indonesia.

"If they do not return today, they will return from Johor to (Tanjung) Pinang in the next fourteen days. After that, there will be boats operated. It is not us who stop the operation. It is the Malaysian Prime Minister.  But to Singapore, we are still operating," said 

Besides the Tanjungpinang-Johor Bahru Malaysia shipping route, the Sri Bintan Pura port of Tanjungpinang also serves a shipping route to  Singapore. Tanjungpinang Port Authority also stated that ships to Singapore are still operating regularly until now, because the Singapore authority's policy is different from that of Malaysia's.  (VOI/Agus Santika/TRANS:AF/AHM)

European leaders have moved to shut the EU's external borders as they grapple with the quickly spreading virus. The measure is expected to apply to 26 EU states as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

The ban came as deaths continued to soar across Europe. Italy remains the worst-hit country with another big surge in cases today. Spain has also partially locked down its 47 million inhabitants In Germany Chancellor Merkel has banned religious services and venues including clubs, bars, leisure facilities, zoos and playgrounds will also be closed. In Press conference held on Tuesday, March 17^th 2020 in Brussel, Charles Michel, President of the European Council stated that European member states has agree to limit their borders.

"To limit the spread of the virus globally we agreed to reinforce our external borders by applying a coordinate temporary restriction of non-essential travel to the EU for period of 30 days based on the approach propose by the commission," said Charles Michel.

On similar occasion, European Commission President, Ursula Von Der Leyen said that green lane has to be strengthened in the inner European Union border.

"A big topic today were off course also the internal borders and consequently the blockage there. Here absolutely crucial that we unblock the situation because we know that too many people stranded within the European Union and have problem to go back home. And we have a lot of traffic jam of lorry transporting goods the flow of goods has to be swift, we need this goods for the internal market," she said.

The European Commission launched an advisory panel on Covid-19 composed of epidemiologists and virologists from different Member States to formulate EU guidelines on science-based and coordinated risk management measures. This panel, which was created following a mandate by EU Member States, will be chaired by the Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, and co-chaired by Stella Kyriakides, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety. (BBC/NK)

The Indonesian government held a video conference with foreign embassies and international organizations on Tuesday in Jakarta to report on efforts to combat the COVID-19 outbreak. (MoFA)

Indonesian Vice Foreign Minister Mahendra Siregar highlighted the directives issued by President Joko Widodo on COVID-19, including social distancing, in a video conference on Tuesday with more than 100 embassies and international organizations in Jakarta.

Besides Vice Minister Siregar, Deputy Minister of Finance Suahasil Nazara and the government’s spokesperson on COVID-19 matters, Achmad Yurianto, who is also director general of Disease Prevention and Control (Ministry of Health), also participated in the conference.

Siregar outlined the efforts taken by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including limiting participation of Indonesian delegations in foreign forums and international activities in Indonesia, scheduling work from home, and launching a COVID-19 hotline for the diplomatic corps.

He also expressed his appreciation of cooperation from friendly countries in efforts to repatriate Indonesian citizens from areas affected by the virus.

Meanwhile, Achmad Yurianto, the government’s spokesperson on COVID-19 matters, stressed that the spread of the virus in Indonesia is under control, and there is coordination between agencies, especially with the formation of a task force to deal with the outbreak.

He explained that Indonesia has adequate resources to deal with outbreaks, with 360 referral hospitals identified, and Community Health Centers and private hospitals optimized to serve all residents, regardless of citizenship status, and ensure early detection.



The Ministry of Health has also heightened communication and coordination efforts with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to deal with the pandemic. The efforts cover embassies and representative offices of all countries in Indonesia.

At the conference, Deputy Minister of Finance Suahasil Nazara detailed the government's policies and efforts to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on the Indonesian economy. The government, in cooperation with Bank Indonesia and the Financial Services Authority, has taken a series of synergistic fiscal, monetary, and financial measures, he said.

They include stimulus in the form of tax leniency to help affected industries, including micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), he added.

The video conference ended with a question-and-answer session, and will be held periodically with the diplomatic corps in Jakarta to apprise them of other developments and strengthen coordination in the fight against COVID-19.

Given the increasing number of nations affected by the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, the Indonesian government has asked all citizens to restrict non-essential travel to other countries.

"Indonesian citizens currently traveling abroad are advised to return to Indonesia at the earliest possible time to avoid further travel disruptions," said Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi in a video statement on the 'Additional Measures of the Indonesian Government in Relation to COVID-19 Response', received in Jakarta, Tuesday.

A number of countries have enacted policies to restrict the movement of people. For that reason, all Indonesian citizens have been requested to closely monitor information available through the Ministry's Safe Travel Application, or by contacting the hotline of the nearest Indonesian Mission.

The Indonesian government has also decided to suspend the visa-free scheme for visits, visa on arrival facility, and diplomatic and official visa-free schemes for the next month for foreign travelers from all countries.

Visitors wishing to come to Indonesia would now have to obtain a visa from Indonesian Missions by stating the purpose of their visit.

In addition, the government will continue to suspend flights to and from all areas of China, and ban visitors from two centers of the virus in South Korea — the city of Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do province, in accordance with the a statement issued by the Minister for Foreign Affairs on 5 March, 2020.

Prohibitions have been imposed on entry or transit to Indonesia for visitors who have travelled to Iran, Italy, the Vatican, Spain, France, Germany, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom in the last 14 days.

All travelers coming into the country would need to submit a Health Alert Certificate to the Health Quarantine Office upon arrival at Indonesian airports. Should their travel history indicate that they have visited countries on the restricted list in the last 14 days, they may be denied entry to Indonesia.

Moreover, Indonesian citizens who have travelled to the countries on the restricted list will have to undergo an additional screening upon arrival. The screening will be carried out by the Health Quarantine Office.

If during additional screening, travelers show initial symptoms of COVID-19, they will be placed under a 14-day observation at a government facility. If they show no initial symptoms, a 14-day self-quarantine will be strongly recommended to them.

The extension of expired Short Visit Pass for foreign travelers who are currently in Indonesia shall be conducted in accordance with the Regulation of the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights No. 7 of 2020.

Extension measures for holders of Temporary Stay Permit Card (KITAS), Permanent Stay Permit Card (KITAP), and holders of Diplomatic Visa and Service Visa, who are currently overseas, will be conducted in accordance with the Regulation of the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights No.7 of 2020.

These measures will take effect on Friday (20 March) at 00.00 Western Indonesia Time (GMT+7). They are temporary measures and shall be evaluated in view of further developments. (ANTARA)