238 people were evacuated from Wuhan to Wuhan by the Indonesian Natuna Islands on February 2 for isolation 14 days before returning home.

These people passed a Chinese government medical examination before boarding an evacuation flight from Wuhan, the focus of a new strain of coronary pneumonia (nCoV) virus.

According to the original plan, 245 people would be evacuated, but four did not board the plane and three did not pass a medical examination in China. Of the 238 people who were allowed to board the plane and return to Indonesia, a foreign citizen, said a spokesman for Indonesia's Ministry of Health, Widyawati.

"Although all those on board have passed the Chinese government's medical examination, they will be checked again. This complies with world health standards to ensure their health status." , Widyawati said.

Widyawati also added that all passengers were in good health during a medical examination when they arrived in Indonesia.

Anung Sugihantono, head of the Indonesian Ministry of Health's General Department of Disease Prevention and Control, said Indonesians returning from Wuhan had been arranged in 10 tents and seven rooms at a military base on the Natuna Islands.

"From a health perspective, we can guarantee that if this is a respiratory disease, it will not spread to the community," he said.

They will be allowed to participate in a variety of activities from sports to art during isolation, have daily medical checks and are cared for by a team of doctors and nurses, according to Anung.

Anung also emphasized that if someone had breathing problems or had positive results for nCoV during the 14-day isolation period, a medical evacuation would be carried out.

Earlier, people in Natuna protested against the plan to bring evacuees from Wuhan here. They fear the disease could spread when a military facility used to isolate people returning from Wuhan is located near residential areas.

Indonesia today has no new cases of virus infection when 34 people were monitored, including 7 foreigners, with negative results for nCoV. Meanwhile, some neighboring countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam have all reported new virus infections.

Indonesia said it had taken drastic measures to prevent the virus from spreading after the World Health Organization declared a state of emergency last week.

Indonesian officials on Monday banned entry for travelers who have been to China for 14 days and suspended flights to and from China on January 29. Passengers from China must go through special checkpoints at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar, Bali and Soekarno Hatta Airport in Tangerang.

The outbreak of acute pneumonia caused by nCoV began in Wuhan in December 2019, then spread to all of China's 31 provinces. The pandemic pneumonia currently causes 362 deaths, including 361 in China and a Wuhan man in the Philippines. The number of infections also increased to more than 17,000 and occurred in 25 countries and territories around the world.

Countries with nCoV-infected patients. Click on the image to see details.