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Indonesia expands quarantine capacity to anticipate uptick in international arrivals
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The interior of Terminal 3 of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten. (JP/Wendra Ajistyatama)
T
he government is expanding quarantine facilities for international flight passengers arriving into the country in anticipation of an uptick in arrivals during the year-end holiday period.
Based on traffic data from state-owned airport operator Angkasa Pura II (AP II), which manages Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Cengkareng, Banten, among other airports, international arrivals are expected to increase starting Dec. 20, National COVID-19 spokesperson Wiku Adisasmito said.
Wiku said such a situation indicated that there was high willingness from the public to travel overseas, despite the government’s call to postpone nonessential international travel during the holiday season as other countries have recorded a surge in cases caused by the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
“To accommodate such a need, the national COVID-19 task force, along with relevant stakeholders, is working to increase the capacity of the quarantine facilities around Indonesia’s entry points,” said Wiku in a press briefing on Thursday.
Read also: Indonesia weighs tougher curbs in response to Omicron
In Jakarta, for example, the government has opened low-cost apartments (Rusun) in Daan Mogot and an accommodation facility owned by the city’s Education Quality Assurance Agency (LPMP Jakarta), adding around 1,980 new beds in total to be used as quarantine facilities for incoming travelers.
These facilities complement existing quarantine facilities that include former athletes villages in Kemayoran and Pademangan, North Jakarta, which were converted into COVID-19 emergency hospital and isolation facilities last year in response to the pandemic, along with Rusun Pasar Rumput in South Jakarta and Rusun Nagrak in North Jakarta.
