Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno has said that the government will implement a no-quarantine policy for overseas travellers throughout Indonesia.
This is based on the results of the limited meeting on evaluating PPKM with President Joko Widodo and Vice President, Ma’ruf Amin.
“The results of the joint meeting with the president have announced that a no-quarantine policy will be extended to all of Indonesia. Only PCR tests are required upon entry,” said Uno in a virtual weekly press briefing on Monday.
Furthermore, said Uno, the COVID-19 Task Force Circular relating to the details of the no-quarantine policy will be issued no later than Tuesday 22nd March 2022. Details of vaccine and other no-quarantine requirements are expected to be included then.
This decision will later be implemented after the success of the no-quarantine trials in Bali, Batam and Bintan. In particular, the positivity rate is considered very low, and the reproduction rate is decreasing.
However, the Minister reminded people that despite this new policy, the public must still obey the health protocols and the government must continue to strengthen testing and tracing.
The usage of the PeduliLindungi application is recommended to continue, considering the last few weeks have shown lower COVID-19 trends. Until now, tourist attractions, shopping centres, and restaurants are still providing barcode scans for these applications.
“We should be grateful for the increasingly controlled handling of the pandemic, the result of implementing health protocols which are also strictly adhered to and disciplined,” he explained.
During Ramadan, Muslims will be able to perform tarawih prayers and other religious activities with strict procedures. Meanwhile, for homecoming travels for Eid al-Fitr, said Uno, is still under discussion.