“BI is making sure of rupiah’s stability,” Nanang Hendarsah, the central bank’s head of monetary management, told Reuters by text message.

“BI is boldly buying bonds in the secondary market and is offering DNDF (domestic non-deliverable forwards) through eight brokers,” he said, adding that intervention was also done in a measured way in the spot foreign exchange (FX) market.

Hendarsah attributed the rupiah’s fall in early trade to a drop in China’s equities market, which plunged after reopening from a 10-day Lunar New Year holiday amid a rapidly spreading virus epidemic.

The Chinese yuan and commodities markets in Shanghai slumped on Monday, on fears the coronavirus epidemic will hit demand in the world’s second-largest economy. The death toll in China rose to 361 as of Sunday with the number of confirmed cases rising to more than 17,200.

The rupiah fell as much as 0.5 percent to 13,725 per dollar by 0442 GMT. So far this year, it has gained 1.1 percent helped by big inflows.

Indonesia is one of Asia’s higher-yielding markets and has attracted heavy overseas inflows into its bond markets as investors sought better returns in a world of plunging interest rates.​

Indonesia’s benchmark 10-year bond yield jumped to 6.701 percent, from the previous session’s close of 6.645 percent.

The stock market fell 0.5 percent on Monday and is down 6.6 percent since mid-January, making it the second-worst performing in Southeast Asia after Manila so far this year.

BI intervened in bonds, DNDF and spot markets almost daily last week, according to a trader in Jakarta, but the central bank was seen focusing most of its intervention in the bond and DNDF markets.

Indonesia’s one-month DNDF contracts on Monday traded at 13,751 to the dollar, stronger than comparable offshore non-deliverable forwards at 13,840.

The interventions have helped keep the rupiah mostly stable in recent weeks, the trader said, but dollar liquidity in the spot market is tight.

“BI prefers to do their intervention through DNDF now, but most of the offshore traders are seeking dollar in the spot market, which currently is a bit illiquid,” the trader said.

BI sold DNDF contracts worth more than US$380 million early on Monday, the trader said, adding to around $450 million sold on Friday.

Meanwhile, the central bank believes the pressure on the rupiah is temporary.

“We believe the rupiah’s weakness is temporary because fundamentally, the rupiah will be supported by a narrowing current account deficit, low and stable inflation and resilient growth,” Hendarsah said.

The Health Ministry’s disease control and prevention director general, Anung Sugihantono, said if no single evacuee exhibits respiratory disorders or other symptoms related to the coronavirus infection, they would be immediately released after the two-week observation period as the people who were rescued on Sunday had received clearance from Chinese authorities.

However, options are on the table if some people need further medical treatment following signs of coronavirus infection, he said.

“We could extend [the quarantine period] or relocate [the patient] to a more specific place to receive treatment,” Anung told reporters in Jakarta on Monday. “A hospital in Natuna was already prepared but we also anticipate if – hopefully, such a thing will not happen – [the evacuees] need to be relocated to Jakarta should they require such treatment.”

As of 8 a.m. on Monday, no returnees – including the flight crew who picked up the evacuees from China – had shown symptoms of coronavirus infection, Health Ministry spokesperson Widyawati said.

Health workers continue to periodically examine the conditions of the evacuees at least twice a day, while the government had also made arrangements to ensure the comfort of the evacuees during their two-week quarantine.

“According to the last information, our [evacuees] friends cannot communicate with their families because they still use a Chinese telecommunications operator [in their phones]. We are working to set up a wifi network today so that they could communicate with their families,” said Anung.

The government evacuated 238 people – 237 Indonesian citizens and a foreigner, plus five Foreign Ministry officials – from Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, and other cities on Sunday, using Batik Air Airbus A-330 airplane flying from China to Hang Nadim International Airport in Batam, Riau Islands, before transferring them on three separate Indonesian Military (TNI) flight to Natuna.

The number was less than the 245 people originally planned to be taken out of China, as four people were unwilling to leave and three people were declared sick at the time of departure and did not receive clearance from the Chinese government to leave the country.

The death toll from the virus in China climbed to 362 as of Monday, Johns Hopkins CSSE reported, exceeding the 349 fatalities in China following the 2002 and 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak.

As of Monday, no cases of infection have been observed in Indonesia, Anung said, with lab test results from 34 people – seven foreigners and 27 Indonesians – showing negative for the coronavirus.

WUHAN — Chinese experts warned that the novel coronavirus could be transmitted through the digestive system, according to the latest findings.

They found viral nucleic acids in patients’ stool and rectal swabs after they noticed that the initial symptom of some patients infected with the coronavirus was diarrhea only, instead of a fever, which is more common.

The latest findings resulted from joint research by experts from the Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University and the Wuhan Institute of Virology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, China’s top research body in natural sciences.

The research team believes that the novel coronavirus still has certain fecal-oral transmission, aside from droplet and contact transmissions.

BEIJING — A total of 475 patients infected with the novel coronavirus had been discharged from hospital after recovery by the end of Sunday, Chinese health authorities announced Monday.

Sunday saw 147 people walk out of the hospital after recovery (80 in Hubei), the National Health Commission (NHC) said in its daily report.

By the end of Sunday, a total of 361 people had died of the disease and 17,205 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection had been reported in 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps in China.

In a joint press briefing held by ministers, Food and Drug Safety Minister Lee Eui-kyung said the government is closely monitoring wholesalers and online retailers suspected of hiking prices excessively.

The government plans to promptly revise the relevant regulations to punish such sellers with prison terms of up to two years or fines of up to 50 million won (US$41,859).

To cope with a spike in demand for masks, the government said it plans to urge manufacturers to make a combined 10 million masks daily by running their factories 24 hours.

Manufacturers currently hold around 31 million masks in stock, according to government estimates.

“We will strive to make sure there is no problem in supply by maximizing factory operation and diversifying suppliers,” Lee said.

As part of efforts to help curb the spread of the contagious virus, the government also plans to distribute 720,000 masks to companies that employee foreigners.

Mask sales have rapidly shot up across the country, with some offline retailers limiting the number of purchases per customer.

Consumers have complained that some online retailers have excessively raised prices to increase their margins. (Yonhap)

The restrictions, announced by Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun on Sunday after the country reported a 15th case, will go into effect Tuesday.

All foreigners who have visited the Chinese province, the epicenter of the deadly virus, from Jan. 21 will be subject to the entry ban, which will last for an unspecified period until incidence of the disease drops off.

The government will consider later whether to expand the measure to other parts of China, Health Minister Park Neung-hoo said in a briefing.

Meanwhile, Korean nationals entering from virus-hit Hubei will be required to quarantine themselves at home for two weeks.

The government will limit entry from China by tightening the issuance of entry visas to those with Chinese passports and suspending short-term visas for travel.

Seoul has also raised the travel advisory level for all of China one notch higher to “red alert,” second-highest in the country’s four-tier system, and recommended that its citizens evacuate the country.

Koreans will be prohibited from visiting China for tourism. The government will also minimize flights and ferries between China.

All people arriving from China have to go through a separate immigration line, and will be cleared to enter after confirming their contact information and local residence.

In addition, the visa-free program for foreign travelers to the southern resort island of Jeju will be temporarily suspended. Chinese nationals accounted for 98 percent of all foreign visitors to the island without visas last year, and a Chinese woman who visited Jeju recently has been diagnosed with the virus.

“We have to block the virus transmission path across local communities even more tightly,” said Chung. “Everyone that came into contact with those affected, both in close contact and general contact, must be self-quarantined.”

People who break the self-quarantine rule could be fined up to 3 million won ($2,508).

Those who have returned from China and are working at public facilities, medical institutions and caregiving services — such as day care centers, kindergartens, schools and hospitals — are to take leave for 14 days. The government said it will provide living expenses and paid vacation if necessary.

The US, Australia and Singapore announced they are temporarily barring entry to all foreign nationals from mainland China, leading a growing list of countries imposing drastic travel bans on the world’s most populous country. Japan imposed a 14-day travel ban on foreigners arriving from Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital. Both Vietnam and Italy have halted all flights to and from China, with Italy becoming the first European Union country to do so.

As more countries closed their doors to China, citizens here have called on the Korean government to do the same. As of Sunday afternoon, more than 650,000 Koreans had signed a petition calling for an entry ban on travelers from China, as the number of confirmed cases here increased. Korea marked 15 confirmed cases, up three from the previous day.

The death toll from the virus, which is officially called the 2019 novel coronavirus or 2019-nCov, now stands at 304 in China and one in the Philippines, which recorded the first death outside China. Around the world, it has infected around 14,000 people in 27 countries, having spread faster and wider than the virus associated with the severe acute respiratory syndrome, another coronavirus, which emerged in 2002 and 2003.

With the outbreak showing no signs of abating, Korea completed its repatriation of 700 Korean nationals on a chartered flight from Wuhan on Saturday, joining the US, Japan, France and India in a widening evacuation drive. The returnees went into a two-week quarantine here.

Korea’s decision to impose restrictions on travel from China could risk angering China, which had asked Korea and other countries to follow the WHO’s recommendations and refrain from restricting travel or trade.

Addressing such diplomatic concerns, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha dismissed the idea that conflicts would ensue and said the ministry was communicating well with the related Chinese authorities about the latest measures.

By Ahn Sung-mi (sahn@heraldcorp.com)

With this move, Duterte expanded his initial travel ban order — which only covered China’s Hubei province and other parts of China that have confirmed reported cases of the virus.

In a statement issued by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, any person, regardless of nationality, directly coming from China and its

special administrative regions — namely Hong Kong and Macau — are banned from entering the country.

Any person, regardless of nationality, who within 14 days immediately preceding arrival in the Philippines has been to China and its special administrative regions, is also covered by the ban.

The ban, however, does not cover Filipino citizens and holders of permanent resident visas issued by the Philippine government.

Filipinos and holders of permanent resident visas coming from any place in China and its special administrative regions shall undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine.

The Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases was also given the authority to ban entry of travellers from other areas with “confirmed widespread” of nCoV, if necessary.

Duterte’s order also does not simply cover foreign nationals travelling from China, as it includes banning of Filipinos from travelling to China, Hong Kong, and Macau.

The president also ordered the establishment of a repatriation and quarantine facility.

Medialdea said that Duterte will preside over a meeting of the Task Force on Monday which will be attended by other concerned agencies.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police have been directed to give necessary assistance in the implementation of Duterte’s order.

As of Sunday, there were two confirmed cases of nCoV in the country — one of whom died on Saturday (February 1).

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said this is the first reported case of a nCoV-related death outside China.

He was also the second confirmed case in the Philippines.

The Department of Health says the Wuhan man was admitted on Jan 25 after experiencing fever, cough, and sore throat.

He developed severe pneumonia, and in his last few days, “the patient was stable and showed signs of improvement, however, the condition of the patient deteriorated within his last 24 hours resulting in his demise,” the health department said.

The man’s 38-year-old female companion, also from Wuhan, tested positive for the virus and remains in hospital isolation in Manila.

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, instructed the PLA about efforts to contain the spread of the virus.

In the instruction, which was published on Wednesday, Xi commended the military for resolutely carrying out the decision of the CPC Central Committee after the outbreak and promptly launching an epidemic prevention and control mechanism and dispatching elite forces to the front line of the battle against the virus.

The situation remains challenging and complex, and the PLA must keep in mind its purpose and respond to orders, he said.

He noted that the military has been assigned the task of medical treatment at Huoshenshan hospital, an emergency specialty hospital in Wuhan, Hubei province, which is under construction. That assignment indicates a high level of trust from the Party and the Chinese people, Xi said.

It is important for the military to step up its organizing and leadership functions, enable closer coordination with local authorities, adhere to the principles of scientific treatment and ensure self-protection, he said, adding that by doing so in this mission, it will live up to its high standard of trust and honor.

Military hospitals must make all-out efforts to accept and treat patients, and research institutions should press ahead with their research and development to contribute to victory against the outbreak, he said.

A meeting, presided over by Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday, underlined the importance of targeted measures to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus nationwide.

The meeting of the central leading group on coping with the outbreak stressed the need to scale up the country’s ability to treat patients in critical condition in cities around Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak.

The country’s top diplomat, Yang Jiechi, said on Wednesday in a phone call with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that China attaches great importance to the safety of all foreigners in the country, including those from the United States, and will maintain close coordination and cooperation to prevent and control illnesses related to the coronavirus.

Despite heightened disease control and prevention efforts, the coronavirus continues to spread, and some areas will see a spike in the number of infected people, a statement released after the meeting said.

Maximum effort and scientific measures to curb the spread of the outbreak are needed, it said.

Epidemic control and prevention efforts in Wuhan and throughout Hubei province must be further bolstered so that medical resources can be better coordinated and refined to treat patients and reduce deaths, the statement said.

It also called for an effective and coordinated epidemic control and prevention mechanism between provincial-level areas.

Research and development of vaccines must be accelerated, and approvals and clinical use of pharmaceuticals that have already proved effective should be expedited, the statement said.

It also urged local authorities to get manufacturers of protective suits, surgical masks, safety goggles, negative pressure ambulances and drugs back in full production as soon as possible. Favorable tax policies and financing will be researched by the authorities, it said.

Some employers should allow staff who traveled away from places of higher risk of infection for the Spring Festival holiday, as well as people with non-critical jobs, to delay their return.

People at higher risk of infection, should stay at home for medical observation or be allowed to work from home, it added.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying expressed indignation and opposition to the bill, the Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2019, in an online statement, saying it violated international law and basic rules governing international relations and sent the wrong signal to separatist forces pushing for Tibet independence.

The bill bans new Chinese consulates in US territory until a US consulate is set up in Lhasa, the Tibet autonomous region’s capital.

As an amendment to the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002, the recently passed bill lays out a road map for sanctions on Chinese officials “interfering” in the succession and reincarnation of the Dalai Lama.

Hua said China urges the US to correct its mistake immediately and do more to help promote bilateral trust and cooperation, rather than the opposite.

She added that China demands that the US objectively view the economic and social development in Tibet and clearly understand the sensitivity of related issues.

Noting that Tibet has been Chinese territory historically, Hua said what happens in the region is purely China’s domestic affair and no external interference is tolerable.

Tibet’s development in areas such as its economy, society, culture and ecology have made historic progress over the past 60 years, she said, adding that the international community has become more aware of the situation in the region and both understands and supports the country’s policies.

The Tibet issue has nothing to do with ethnic groups, religion or human rights, she said, but is a major issue of principle related to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China.