Health officials disinfect the evacuees from Wuhan, who will be quarantined on the island of Natuna for two weeks (AFP Photo/HANDOUT) |
Hundreds of residents of a remote Indonesian island protested Monday at the government's decision to use it to quarantine evacuees from the Chinese city at the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak.
Indonesia
has evacuated 237 citizens and one foreign national, married to an Indonesian,
from Wuhan.
The
evacuees, mostly students, landed Sunday and will be quarantined for 14 days on
Natuna island, which lies between Borneo and Peninsular Malaysia.
"The
government's decision to quarantine Indonesians who returned from China has
made people feel uneasy, so we strongly reject it," Fadillah, one of the
protesters who like many Indonesians goes with one name, told AFP.
The
protesters, wearing green surgical masks, demonstrated in front of the local
parliament building, demanding the local authorities relocate the evacuation
centre away from a residential area.
"Whatever
the reason and the explanation, we don't believe it. We believe this virus is
very dangerous for people in Natuna," Fadillah said.
In response
to the growing protest on the island, President Joko Widodo said the returnees
had to be quarantined to ensure they were in good health before they can return
home.
"Those
people are healthy, however several stages are needed in health protocol before
they can be returned to their family," Widodo said.
Following
the evacuees' arrival on Natuna, the local government has shut down schools for
two weeks and urged students to limit outdoor activities.
The
coronavirus epidemic has infected more than 17,000 people across China and
reached 24 nations, although Indonesia has not reported any confirmed cases so
far.
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