While the condition of the sole confirmed MERS patient has improved, 176 people are known to have been in close contact with him.
No new cases of MERS have been reported in Thailand, but three new infections have been found in South Korea.
While Thailand has beefed up its screening for the disease, Indonesian director general for disease control and environmental health HM Subuh said that similar action was not yet necessary here.
“It’s not yet needed because the case in Thailand is an Oman citizen,” he told the Post on Tuesday.
That said, the Indonesian government has introduced a precautionary measure by screening citizens from the Arabian gulf and South Korea at all international hubs, both airports and seaports, in the country.
Tjandra, meanwhile, said the screening employed at airports was not foolproof.
“The patient in Thailand has been ill since June 10 and he went to Thailand specifically for medical treatment. When he arrived at the airport on June 15, his MERS was not detected by the screening even though he was already sick. This confirms that screening cannot prevent MERS entering a country 100 percent,” he said.