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Thousands turned back to stop Idul Fitri exodus
In Jakarta, some 6,500 vehicles were told to turn around because of the mudik ban, which started on Thursday and will last until May 17.
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Traffic officers turn back vehicles at Pejagan toll gate in Brebes, Central Java, on May 9, 2021. The vehicles were traveling without health documents and travel permits, which are required to restrict travels during Idul Fitri holiday season. (Antara/Oky Lukmansyah)
D
espite the government’s attempts to stop people from visiting their hometowns for Idul Fitri, resulting in tens of thousands of vehicles forced to make a U-turn at toll gates, some travelers have managed to find a way around the mudik (exodus) ban.
National Police Traffic Corps (Korlantas) chief Insp. Gen. Istiono said on Saturday evening that three days into the mudik ban, the police had stopped around 70,000 vehicles and instructed drivers to go back to where they came from after they failed to produce the necessary permits and travel requirements.
They were stopped at 381 checkpoints spread across Sumatra, Java and Bali, where a joint team of 155,000 personnel from the police, Indonesian Military (TNI), Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) and the Transportation Ministry have been deployed.
In Jakarta, some 6,500 vehicles were told to turn around because of the mudik ban, which started on Thursday and will last until May 17. In a bid to curb COVID-19 transmission, the government imposed the ban for the second year, only allowing out-of-town travel for urgent matters, such as the death of a family member.
Public officials and public workers are allowed to travel for work-related matters but must carry a permission letter from their respective supervisors and regional heads that states their specific reasons for traveling. Those who wish to travel during the ban must also obtain an entry and exit permit (SIKM) issued by their respective local administrations.
While a drop in toll road users and certain modes of public transportation has been reported from before the mudik ban, the number of travelers, regardless of their purpose, was still in the tens of thousands. On the second day of the ban, the Transportation Ministry recorded a 16 percent increase in plane passengers traveling for non-mudik purposes from the first day.
In total, authorities in West Java have had to force at least 22,000 out of the 64,000 vehicles intercepted at 158 checkpoints to make a U-turn as of Friday, said West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil.
