The Indonesian government will not refuse entry to Indonesian citizens returning home to Indonesia from Singapore, the Indonesian embassy in Singapore clarified on Tuesday, Feb. 11, as misinformation has been released stating otherwise.

The embassy made the statement in a Facebook post in order to address rumours that had been circulating that the Indonesian government was restricting entry of Indonesians and citizens of other countries with a travel history to Singapore.

There are currently 50 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Singapore, while Indonesia has no reported cases.

Embassy clarifies

The Indonesian embassy's Facebook post encouraged Indonesians to remain clam and not to panic, and clarified that the government would not refuse entry to travellers with no travel history to China within the last 14 days.

As for those with a travel history to China, they would be accepted into the country "as long as they follow the health procedures, such as a home quarantine which every government has been doing, including Singapore,” Ratna Lestari Harjana, the Head of Information and Socio-Cultural Affairs at the Indonesian embassy, told CNA.

She explained that the clarification was meant to quell Indonesians' anxieties, saying that the embassy wanted to explain to them that "Indonesians will never be rejected entry in Indonesia because Indonesia is their home".

Travel advisory

On Feb. 8, in light of the Singapore government's announcement of DORSCON Orange the previous day, the Indonesian government raised the travel alert status to yellow.

In a release by Indonesia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the government encouraged Indonesians living in or travelling to Singapore to regularly wash their hands, use masks, reduce activities outside of the home, and avoid interactions with public crowds.

The Indonesian embassy's Facebook post on Tuesday also clarified that there is no ban on Indonesians visiting Singapore.

It called on Indonesians in or travelling to Singapore act responsibly, avoid crowded places when not urgent, and maintain their health and hygiene while continuing to monitor developments through official channels of Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore's website.

No reported cases in Indonesia yet

Currently, there are no reported cases of the coronavirus in Indonesia, which has claimed the lives of more than 1,100 people.

The lack of cases in Indonesia, despite its yearly intake of about two million tourists from China, has led some experts to be concerned, reports the New York Times.

A study by five researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health suggested that Indonesia and Cambodia, which has only one reported case thus far, could potentially have undetected cases.

The researchers suggested that "outbreak surveillance and control capacity should be rapidly strengthened... to ensure cases are detected if occurring and avoid emergence of self-sustained transmission."

On Tuesday, Feb. 11, Indonesian health minister Terawan Agus Putranto called the report "insulting", reported The Jakarta Post.

He told reporters that "they can be baffled but it's a fact" that there are no cases.

Putrano stated that the country has proper testing equipment, and that they are "being vigilant at the highest level".

The Indonesian government has said that none of the dozens of cases it has tested have been positive, reported The Jakarta Post.

"We're not hiding anything", stated Putrano.

The only confirmed case thus far of an Indonesian with the coronavirus is of a 44-year-old woman working as the domestic helper in Singapore.

All three members of the family she worked for -- a 28-year-old woman, a 45-year-old Singaporean man, and a six-month-old baby -- also tested positive for the virus.

Top image via Facebook / KBRI Singapura.