TheJakartaPost
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Safe travels
China is not the first or the only country to face entry restrictions during the pandemic. Indonesia endured such measures much earlier but deemed them acceptable, as governments were responsible for protecting their citizens from danger, even though tourist arrivals could help their economies survive the storm.
A woman takes part in a simulation of COVID-19 health protocols at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali, on Oct. 9, 2021. (AFP/Sonny Tumbelaka)
T
he strong reaction of the Chinese government to the decision of several countries, such as Japan, France, the United States and India, to impose testing requirements on passengers arriving from China is understandable. Millions of Chinese nationals are eager to go overseas for the Lunar New Year break after three years of COVID-19 curbs at home.
But China is not the first or the only country to face entry restrictions. Indonesia endured such measures much earlier but deemed them acceptable, as governments were responsible for protecting their citizens from danger, even though tourist arrivals could help their economies survive the storm.
When COVID-19 was raging in Indonesia in 2020 and 2021, no less than 59 countries, including close ASEAN neighbors Singapore and Malaysia, restricted visits of Indonesian nationals. Many Indonesians felt humiliated and suspected the entry ban was politically motivated, but Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi emphasized that it was the right of each country to protect itself from the deadly disease.
India and South Africa were also temporarily blacklisted by other countries when the pandemic was rearing its ugly head in 2021. Many people in the two countries were angry about the restrictions, but later they realized they would have done the same if they were in other nations’ shoes.
Indonesia, too, slapped similar policies on foreign visitors in a bid to contain COVID-19 transmission. But as COVID-19 came back under control, the restrictions were relaxed step by step. The country has had its doors open to visitors since February 2022.
Indonesia saw foreign tourist arrivals more than triple year-on-year to 657,300 in November 2022 as a result of the easing of COVID-19 restrictions. From January to December 2022, Bali, the country’s main tourist destination, welcomed some 1.7 million foreign tourists.
Many countries have announced stringent virus measures on travelers from China, and Beijing has threatened to take countermeasures against what it construes as a slight.
Amid the rising tensions between China and the West, China has expressed suspicions that the travel restrictions are just another attempt to hamstring the world’s second-largest economy.
It is possible that political motives have weighed into some countries’ decisions to restrict Chinese travelers. But regardless of motivation, it is undeniable that many countries across the world are still battling the pandemic, which has killed more than 6.7 million people worldwide since it broke out early in 2020.
We all hope China will win its fight against COVID-19 as soon as possible. As a country that has received millions of vaccines from China, Indonesia has seen the scale at which China can take action when it is moved to do so.
Indonesia does not intend to restrict travelers from China as long as they follow the same rules that apply to visitors from other nations. President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo is confident that Indonesia has learned how prevent surges in COVID-19 transmission and achieve a fine balance between public health and the economy.
