Indonesia imposes travel ban to and from China
Passengers wearing face masks walk to a departure gate at Sukarno-Hatta international airport in Tangerang on February 5, 2020. – Indonesia on February 3 temporarily banned flights to and from mainland China and will not allow those who have been there in recent weeks to enter or transit, in an attempt to curb the spread of a new virus that authorities said February 5 has already killed nearly 500 people. (Photo by ADEK BERRY / AFP)
Indonesia on Wednesday night went ahead with its plan to impose a travel ban to and from China as an effort to prevent a deadly coronavirus from spreading into the country, even after a Chinese envoy expressed his disagreement over the plan.
Jakarta Post quoted Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi as confirming that Indonesia would stick to the travel ban, which would take effect at 12 a.m. on Wednesday.
“Yes, it will start at [midnight],” Budi told reporters on Tuesday. “We’re doing what other countries have already done. We have been very careful about this.”
Jakarta Post reported that Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia Xiao Qian had asked Indonesia to follow the advice of the World Health Organization (WHO), which has not recommended that countries restrict travel to and from China despite having declared a global emergency over the new coronavirus.
“In this situation, we need to be calm. Don’t overreact and do something that would have a negative impact on investments and the [Indonesian] economy,” Xiao told reporters in Jakarta during a press briefing on Tuesday.
Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi told a televised news conference on Sunday that Indonesia would immediately bar visitors who had been in China for 14 days.
