Indonesia-WHO Discusses Development of Handling COVID 19

Geneva, – Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus discussed the global situation in the spread of the Corona or COVID 19 virus which was increasingly alarming on Monday (24/2).

“Global coordination and collaboration in dealing with the spread of COVID 19 is very important to control and overcome the spread of the virus,” said the Indonesian Foreign Minister on the sidelines of the High Level Meeting of the UN Human Rights Council Session 43rd Session at the UN Headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland.

The Foreign Minister added global collaboration in dealing with COVID 19 was not only to overcome the spread of this virus in the short term, but also to anticipate the possibility of spreading similar viruses in the long run.

Retno also conveyed the development of handling COVID 19 in Indonesia. “Until now, according to data released by the Indonesian Ministry of Health, there have been no positive cases of individuals infected with this virus in Indonesia,” she said.

In addition, the Indonesian Foreign Minister also explained the efforts of the Government of the Republic of Indonesia in evacuating Indonesian Citizens who were in areas affected by COVID 19 in several countries, including 238 Indonesian citizens from Wuhan, China some time ago.

Foreign Minister Retno also conveyed the results of the ASEAN-China Special Meeting on Coronavirus in Vientiane, Laos, February 20, 2020.

“The exchange of information as a form of coordination in handling COVID 19 is essential to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus,” Retno said.

Meanwhile, the WHO Director General advised Indonesia to remain alert to the spread of COVID 19, even though until now no Indonesian citizen has been infected with the virus in Indonesia.

WHO also appreciates the role of Indonesia as Chair of the Foreign Policy Forum for Global Health (FPGH), which carries the theme “Affordable Healthcare for All. This theme supports the achievement of Universal Health Coverage which is one of the priorities of the Sustainable Development Agenda (SDG 2030).

The Indonesian Foreign Minister conveyed the invitation to the WHO Director General to attend the FPGH Ministerial Retreat, 9-10 July 2020 in Bali, as one of Indonesia’s initiatives as the Chair of FPGH 2020. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)