VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Illustration of coal vessel on Mahakam River, Samarinda, East Kalimantan. (ANTARA)

Nunukan, N Kalimantan - The Nunukan Seaport authorities have tightened watch on a Panama-flagged vessel currently docking off the port's pier to load coal to be transported to mainland China amid the ongoing concerns over the spread of novel corona virus disease (COVID-19).

The foreign cargo vessel has been under surveillance since its arrival on March 14, 2020, Head of the Nunukan Seaport Authority Syarif Bustamin said in a press statement that made available to ANTARA in Nunukan District, North Kalimantan Province, on Monday.

The seaport's health workers had checked the body temperature of the ship's 20 crew members showing that it remains normal, he said, adding that this Panama-flagged vessel s docking off a site called "loading point 2".

In February, the Indonesian authorities in West Papua Province had also taken precautionary measures due to the planned arrival of a Chinese cargo vessel in Manokwari.

Referring to the local customs and excise office's information, the Chinese vessel was to load cements at the port of PT SDIC-Papua Cement Indonesia's cargo terminal, according to Head of the provincial administration's Legal and Human Rights Office Anthonius Ayorbaba.

To this end, the Manokwari customs and excise officials coordinated with related authorities to deal with the ongoing concerns caused by COVID-19 outbreak, he said, adding that the cargo ship only carried crew members.

"A tightened surveillance is needed. The immigration, seaport's health office, customs and excise office, local government, and several other related agencies should develop a synergy," Ayorbaba said.

In preventing the spread of the deadly coronavirus, the Indonesian Government has restricted travel to and from mainland China, and conducted a 14-day quarantine for Indonesians returning to Indonesia from China, he said.

The COVID-19 outbreak, which initially struck the Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of 2019, has forced several airlines, including national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia, to suspend direct flights to and from mainland China.

As of Monday, the COVID-19 had infected at least 134 people in several cities across Indonesia, including Jakarta, Bandung, Tangerang, Solo, Yogyakarta, Bali, Manado, and Pontianak.

Indonesia has become one of the countries whose citizens have contracted COVID-19. The Indonesian authorities have also declared the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak as a national disaster.

The death toll from the virus has reached five, while eight COVID-19 patients have received discharge from hospitals while seven others are expected to recover soon. (ANTARA)

The European Union has formally agreed to temporarily close its external borders to all “non-essential” travel from third nations, as the bloc hopes to put out internal political fires that the coronavirus outbreak has lit across the continent.

With immediate effect, the only things permitted to cross into the bloc will be goods, medical equipment and in some cases people deemed to be necessary to the EU's efforts to manage the coronavirus spread. The measures will remain in place for 30 days and will not apply to the United Kingdom, which despite having left the EU earlier this year is still a transition period with the bloc.

The agreement is not legally binding and will rely on leaders sticking to the commitments made in an emergency conference call on Tuesday.

"It's up to them now to implement ... They said they would immediately do that," said European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen shortly after the agreement was reached.

The move comes after the European outbreak of the virus created political tensions among member states that placed enormous pressure on Brussels to act, despite the EU's central bodies having little formal authority over nation's health or border policies.

Brussels hopes that by closing the external border, national governments will be willing to reopen internal borders that some EU member states -- including France, Spain and Denmark -- had closed in response to the crisis. Earlier today, Germany, the EU's wealthiest and arguably most powerful member state, announced the closure of several of its borders.

The EU's logic is that reopening the EU's internal borders will make a coordinated response to the coronavirus easier.

However, the EU will also be keen to have those borders operating as normal for political reasons. The Schengen Area is seen by officials in Brussels as central to the European project and crucially to the EU's single market. It is also one of the most contentious issues across the bloc and has been attacked by Euroskeptic populists as an example of overreach by Brussels and a security risk. The longer that the borders between member states remained closed, the more of a concern for Brussels.

Von Der Leyen did not confirm that any member state had committed to lift their internal border restrictions during a press conference on Tuesday. She did however say that she was "confident there will be a positive move over the next phase."

The EU has been criticized for its early response to the crisi. Whether that criticism is fair is open to debate: Brussels can only advise member states on health policy and can do little more than act in a coordination role. When situation in Italy accelerated a few weeks ago, a lack of coordination left member states distrustful of one another and unwilling to cooperate.

The EU's leadership will hope that today's efforts bring the 27 member states closer together and leads to European nations to starting reading from the same script. (CNN)

Bolivia's Interim President Jeanine Áñez (wikipedia)

Bolivia’s borders will be closed due to the ongoing threat of coronavirus, Interim President Jeanine Áñez announced in a statement released by her office on Tuesday.

Effective Thursday, only Bolivian citizens and residents may enter the country, the statement said. Travelers entering the country must follow protocols implemented by the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization.

International and national flights will be suspended starting Friday, the statement said. The transportation of goods will still be allowed into Bolivia.

In addition to border closures, work days will be shortened and markets will open for limited hours. The measures will be in place until March 31. (CNN)

Jakarta - Five patients in Indonesia have recovered from COVID-19 and discharged from the Sulianti Saroso Hospital for Infectious Diseases, according to the hospital authorities.

"(Cases) 01, 02, and 03 have been discharged. (Cases) 10 and 11 have been discharged as well," said chairman of the Sulianti Saroso Hospital for Infectious Diseases, Mohammad Syahril, in Jakarta on Monday.

He said two more patients who tested positive for COVID-19 — Cases 23 and 27 — have also recovered and will be discharged after a second test.

"Cases 23 and 27 will be discharged as their tests have come back negative. Insya Allah (God Willing) by tomorrow morning, Cases 23 and 27 (will return home)," he added.