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Government enacts new travel rules amid murky vetting norms
As Indonesian hospitals face oxygen, bed and personnel shortages amid the ongoing COVID-19 surge, the government has updated its requirements for inbound international travelers that includes proof of vaccination, despite the lack of a global verification standard for such documentation issued abroad.
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A smartphone screen shows the COVID-19 status feature on the National Health Service (NHS) app, in a photograph taken on May 18, 2021 in London, England. Amid the controversial introduction of "vaccine passports" by several countries, no global standard has been developed for verifying the authenticity of vaccine documents issued by different countries. (AFP/Justin Tallis)
T
he government on Tuesday began imposing requirements for international travelers to present proof of COVID-19 vaccination and a negative test result upon their arrival in what is being considered Indonesia’s “vaccine passport” scheme.
The move to buoy the travel industry comes even as regions across Java and Bali impose snap restrictions to alleviate the burden of hospitals overwhelmed by patients in the ongoing “second wave” of infections.
Experts have said, however, that the government’s vetting scheme risks relying on blind faith due to the state’s lack of resources. Meanwhile, uncertainty in the global supply chain for COVID-19 vaccines has exacerbated tensions over the unequal standing among the different vaccine brands.
As more transmissible coronavirus variants spread around the globe amid competing efforts to vaccinate populations, countries have begun introducing measures they believe would guarantee freedom of movement, despite reservations from the World Health Organization (WHO).
The WHO continues to uphold its strong recommendation that strict health protocols be maintained for inoculated travelers.
New travel protocol, new local curbs
Ganip Warsito, the head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) and the national COVID-19 task force, announced on Sunday that the government protocol for international travel had been updated.
