For a country with the world's fourth-largest population, and which welcomed 2 million tourists from China last year, it's a claim that seems absurd.
revealed last month Indonesia did not yet have the specific test kits that can rapidly detect this new strain of coronavirus in a matter of hours the Health Ministry denied it, .
Health department officials insisted they had had the kits since late December - even though the details of the chemicals required were only publicly released on January 14.At best, the officials were saving face.
Achmad Yurianto, the Health Ministry's secretary-general for disease control, said on Thursday that lab tests were "not the first intervention". A health official scans the body temperature of a passenger as she arrives at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Indonesia.Body temperature checks , travel history checks and close contact with people who have been infected all happen first.
But at a seminar at Eijkman on Wednesday institute researcher Professor David Handojo Muljono supported more, and wider, testing of potential cases.As fellow researcher Dr Herawati Sudoyo put it "I don’t think one institution can do the screening for all of Indonesia".
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Why are there are no cases of coronavirus in Indonesia?Indonesian health officials insist they've detected no coronavirus infections. The reality is that - despite the test results - the virus is probably already here.
Read more »
Why Harry and Meghan’s money move will hurt the monarchyHarry and Meghan are embarking upon a short-term financial windfall — but it will do lasting damage to the royal family.
Read more »
Coronavirus myths busted: Why eating garlic won't protect you from infectionThe World Health Organisation has issued a 'myth busters' guide in an attempt to combat misinformation. 9News
Read more »
Why I believe the woman who says I can become a 'super attractor'I might have been envious of the others, except envy is an emotion of low 'vibrational energy'.
Read more »
Margot Robbie reveals why Birds of Prey had to be explicitThe actor couldn’t be more excited that Birds Of Prey, the latest outing for her DC anti-heroine Harley Quinn, has been given an R-rating in the US.
Read more »
Why does Rose McGowan think Natalie Portman's Oscars cape is 'offensive'?Natalie Portman's admittedly subtle move to acknowledge female directors didn't go down well with everyone. So what was the problem with star's red carpet statement?
Read more »