Indonesian President Joko Widodo has instructed the health authorities to conduct rapid nationwide testing to detect the quickly spreading COVID-19 at an early stage
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th March, 2020) Indonesian President Joko Widodo has instructed the health authorities to conduct rapid nationwide testing to detect the quickly spreading COVID-19 at an early stage.
"I demand rapid tests be carried out across the country for early detection of infection," Widodo said, as quoted by The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
Rapid tests can be conducted at any medical laboratory since they require only blood serum for a sample. According to the news outlet, tests can be taken by people showing no symptoms of coronavirus.
Starting from March 20, Indonesia will suspend its visa exemption policy for all countries for one month amid the outbreak. Moreover, the authorities will ban entry or transit services for travelers who have visited coronavirus hotspots in the last 14 days, including Iran, Italy, the Vatican, Spain, France, Germany, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
To date, Indonesia has confirmed 227 COVID-19 cases and 19 fatalities.
The latest toll globally is over 218,000 cumulative cases, including over 8,800 fatalities and more than 84,000 people who have recovered, according to the Johns Hopkins University. The epicenter of the pandemic has now shifted from China, where the initial outbreak occurred in late 2019, to Europe, where the total is approaching 75,000.
