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Indonesia bans entry of foreign workers under virus curbs
Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly said on Wednesday that his ministry had issued an update on restrictions for foreigners wishing to travel to Indonesia. The update includes banning foreign workers of national strategic projects until the COVID-19 situation has changed.
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Passengers maintain a safe distance while in line for their health and immigration check at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, in June 2020. (Reuters/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana)
T
he government has tightened restrictions on foreign worker arrivals, including those being deployed to work on national strategic projects, just as the nation ramped up efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19, which has seen Indonesia become the new epicenter of the pandemic in Asia and a mainstay on many countries’ travel ban lists.
Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly said on Wednesday that his ministry had issued an update on restrictions for foreigners wishing to travel to Indonesia.
“Previously, foreign workers [were allowed to] enter Indonesia for work on national strategic projects, but now we have placed new limits on them and they are no longer allowed to enter,” he said during the press conference.
Exceptions to the rule apply for foreigners traveling for diplomatic purposes and in support of health, logistics and humanitarian efforts, as well as those already possessing a limited or permanent stay permit.
“Foreigners [who visit] for health and humanitarian purposes, such as doctors for the COVID-19 response, lab workers and humanitarian workers, are still allowed to enter,” Yasonna explained.
He said the new rule would come into effect on Saturday, two days after the relevant ministerial regulation is signed.
Additionally, those allowed to enter the country must ensure that they obtain recommendation letters from the relevant authorities and fulfill existing entry requirements, such as providing proof of COVID-19 vaccination and negative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test results, as well as undergoing the mandatory eight-day quarantine period.
