Indonesian authorities on March 9 confirmed that the country reports 13 new cases of the acute respiratory disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19), bringing the total number in the country to 19.

A passenger walks near the flight information board at the departure gate of I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali, Indonesia (Photo: Antara)

Achmad Yurianto, an official of the Indonesian Ministry of Health, said the patients are aged 16-59, including 11 Indonesians and two foreigners. Some of them had close contact with two infection cases reported last week.

Meanwhile, more than 12,700 flights supposed to carry 1.67 million passengers were cancelled across 15 airports of the country in the first two months of the year due to the Covid-19 outbreak, according to Indonesian airport operator PT Angkasa Pura I.

Of the flights, 11,680 are domestic and 1,023 international, said PT Angkasa Pura I President Director Faik Fahmi.

The cancellations have led to a financial loss of up to 207 billion rupiah (14.32 million USD) in January-Febuary, excluding losses from the non-aero business such as commercial businesses in the airports in the forms of restaurants and retail spaces.

The Covid-19 spread has forced the Indonesian government to slap travel bans on the hardest-hit countries, namely China, Iran, Italy and the Republic of Korea. Fear of the illness has also discouraged people from travelling within the country.

Ngurah Rai on Bali resort island is the most affected airport as it lost a huge number of flights every day, Faik said, adding that the airport lost 35 flights connecting Denpasar city with 22 Chinese localities daily.

Source: VNA