The Bali Provincial Government has confirmed a reduction in the mandatory quarantine period for foreign visitors who arrive in Bali when international flights open on 14th October.
“The quarantine for foreign arrivals has been lowered from eight days to five days,” said Bali Deputy Governor Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardhana Sukawati (Cok Ace) on Monday 11th October. “Indeed, the quarantine duration can be reduced again, but there is a mechanism, a sort of trial to undergo first.”
Cok Ace said that the quarantine period for foreign visitors going to Bali has been reduced to five days because he saw other countries not enforcing quarantine policies for tourists who come to their country.
This reduction in the quarantine period was confirmed after his team held a meeting with the Java and Bali PPKM Coordinator, Luhut Binsar Panjaitan. The meeting also mapped the length of time that each variant of COVID-19 spread.
“If the delta is relatively short, the transmission is fast so it doesn’t take too long (or) it will take a while for people to be caught or infected. But we don’t know about the Mu variant yet. Now we are testing which quarantine duration is right. Later, if there is no problem with the Mu variant, we will shorten it again,” Cok Ace explained.
He emphasised that, until now, his team has not been able to impose a zero-quarantine for foreign arrivals to Bali. He admitted that he had listened to various suggestions from experts.
Previously, foreign tourists were previously required to quarantine at a hotel for eight days upon arrival, with the cost of up to Rp25 million being borne by the foreign arrivals themselves.