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Garuda to require entry permits from Jakarta-bound passengers
All passengers who wish to board flights to Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport must also show medical letters from hospitals stating that they are COVID-19 negative based on a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, according to a circular letter issued by the company’s on Tuesday.
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Two Garuda Indonesia aircraft at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, outside Jakarta, on Nov. 3, 2018. (AFP/Adek Berry)
N
ational flag carrier Garuda Indonesia will require Jakarta-bound passengers to present an exit and entry permit (SIKM) for the city prior to boarding from Tuesday onward, as the country attempts to curb COVID-19 transmission while reopening the economy.
All passengers who wish to board flights to Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport must also show medical letters from hospitals stating that they are COVID-19 negative based on a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, according to a circular letter issued by the company on Tuesday.
“We are announcing that all customers who wish to board a flight bound for Soekarno-Hatta [International Airport] must comply with the document requirements starting from May 26,” the letter reads.
Passengers can file a SIKM request via the Jakarta administration’s website at https://corona.jakarta.go.id/id/izin-keluar-masuk-jakarta.
Garuda president director Irfan Setiaputra told kompas.com that the new policy was in compliance with the Jakarta Gubernatorial Regulation No.47/2020 regarding the city’s entry and exit controls.
Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan recently issued an order banning people from entering or leaving Jakarta, one of the cities in Indonesia hardest-hit by the virus, without prior approval.
“We’re currently discussing compliance with the policy with other authorities,” Irfan said on Tuesday.
Garuda’s low-cost carrier subsidiary, Citilink, is also preparing to announce the same requirements for its passengers, the company's president director Juliandra Nurtjahjo said.
“If flight [schedules] resume under a ‘new normal’ on June 1 and the SIKM requirement is still in effect, we will comply with the policy,” Juliandra told kompas.com.
Passengers who do not provide the two required documents must self-quarantine for 14 days in hotels selected by the government’s COVID-19 Task Force. The task force will not cover the accommodation costs during the quarantine period.
The appointed hotels in the Indonesian capital are Novotel Gajahmada, Mercure Jakarta, Mercure Batavia, Pullman Central Park, Gran Mercure Kemayoran, Mercure Harmoni and Holiday Inn Jakarta Kemayoran.
During the Idul Fitri celebrations on May 24, Garuda Indonesia operated 14 flights through Soekarno Hatta airport, with a maximum of 50 percent occupancy, as required by the government.
“Most of our flights are operated below 50 percent capacity to ensure the safety of our passengers and to adhere with physical distancing rules,” Irfan said on Sunday in a press release.
