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Minister instructs airport operator to take charge of health inspections
A large number of inbound travellers has caused crowding at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport's international terminals as the arriving passengers queue for the health inspection to detect COVID-19.
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Indonesians are screened at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on Friday after arriving on flights from abroad. (Antara/Hasnugara)
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ransportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi has instructed state-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II to conduct passenger health inspections at the country’s busiest airport as the number of repatriated Indonesian arrivals has surged.
The number of returning Indonesians has increased in recent days, with a total of 1,300 people arriving on seven flights at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on Monday, up from 1,000 people on Sunday, according to the minister.
Read also: 11 Indonesian migrant workers test positive for COVID-19 upon return from Italy
The large number of inbound travellers caused crowding at the airport’s international terminals as the arriving passengers queued for the health inspection to detect symptoms of COVID-19.
Given the limited manpower at the Port Health Authority (KKP) tasked with the inspections, the minister has instructed the airport operator to take charge of the procedure.
“We understand that the Health Ministry has a lot on its hands, so we have asked Angkasa Pura II to take over the KKP’s duty at Soekarno-Hatta airport,” Budi told lawmakers during a hearing with House of Representatives Commission V on Monday.
The KKP, operating under the Health Ministry, screens 600 to 1,000 passengers daily through temperature checks, rapid tests as well as interviews upon arrival as part of the measures to contain the virus.
The minister added that there had been a manpower issue on May 7, when the inspectors found that 11 Indonesian nationals repatriated from Italy tested positive for COVID-19.
“There were only one or two health inspectors from the KKP that were available [at that time],” he said.
As many as 351 of the total passengers came from Italy on a chartered plane on May 7, according to Soekarno-Hatta Airport Health Office head Anas Maruf.
Read also: Indonesian airlines resume domestic passenger flights with strict health protocols
Soekarno-Hatta airport spokesperson Febri Toga predicted that around 7,500 to 10,000 more inbound travellers were set to land at the airport until May 31, as the government aims to repatriate Indonesians from foreign countries.
“The number of passengers has increased from the previous weeks, which was around 300 to 400 repatriates per day,” he said as quoted by Tempo.co.
Meanwhile, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo on May 4 estimated that 89,000 migrant workers had returned to Indonesia, with a possibility of 16,000 more arriving in the coming days.
