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Indonesia eases travel curbs amid encouraging Omicron studies
The government has lifted its travel ban on countries with severe COVID-19 transmission and reduced the length of mandatory quarantine to just a week, according to new regulations issued on Wednesday, allowing international arrivals to resume despite rising infection numbers.
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A man observes a flight information display at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten on Dec. 19, 2021. (Courtesy of Kemenparekraf/-)
T
he government has lifted its travel ban on countries with severe COVID-19 transmission and reduced the length of mandatory quarantine to just a week, according to new regulations issued on Wednesday, allowing international arrivals to resume despite rising infection numbers.
Indonesia is keen to jumpstart its economic recovery in 2022 as it plays host to a yearlong series of international conferences and several big sporting events, even though the pandemic continues to loom large in the background.
As of Saturday, the nation recorded 1,054 new confirmed cases of transmission, the highest in more than three months.
But the national COVID-19 task force has issued two new regulations – a circular and a decree – outlining the government’s decision to scrap a travel ban previously imposed on 13 countries, while also requiring that all international travelers arrive at designated entry points and adhere to a seven-day quarantine.
Read also: Indonesia restricts entry for foreigners, extends quarantine
The decision was made final in a national coordination meeting on Jan. 10 and issued in a circular two days later.
Task force spokesperson Wiku Adisasmito suggested that the decision was made after considering that the Omicron strain of the coronavirus had already made its way to 150 of 195 countries as of Monday, and that upholding travel restrictions for some would only prove counterproductive. “If we decide to keep the list of restricted countries in place then that could complicate cross-border travel, which we still need in order to maintain national stability and spur the economic recovery,” he said in a statement on Friday.
