The COVID-19 Handling Task Force has officially banned Eid Al-Fitr’ 2021 homecoming, known locally as mudik, as stated in circular number 13 of 2021 concerning the elimination of the Eid al-Fitr homecoming day of 1442 Hijriah, and efforts to control the spread of COVID-19 during the holy month of Ramadan 1442 Hijrah.
“This circular letter is effective from 6-17th May 2021 and will be further reviewed according to the needs and/or with the latest developments in the field,” states the letter.
Head of the COVID-19 Handling Task Force Doni Monardo emphasised that violations of the Eid homecoming prohibition will be subject to fines, social sanctions, imprisonment, and/or punishment in accordance with statutory regulations.
The issuance of the circular letter is motivated by the potential for increased community movement during the holy month of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr this year. People tend to travel to move across the archipelago for religious, family, and tourism activities, which have a risk of increasing the rate of transmission of COVID-19.
Four scopes are stipulated, namely, public health protocols, control of worship activities during the month of Ramadan and Eid prayers, the elimination of the homecoming travels from 6-17th May 2021 for all parts of Indonesia, and optimising the function of the villages’ COVID-19 posts for prevention and control of the spread of COVID-19.
However, travel during the holy month of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr is exempted for two types of travellers. One is logistic distribution service vehicles. The second is travellers with urgent needs such as work or business trips, visit sick family members, visits to bereaved family members, pregnant women who are accompanied by one family member, and the interests of childbirth accompanied by a maximum of two people.
For these two sets of travellers, a printed travel permit or an exit and entry permit (SIKM) are required to be in hand. However, there are a number of conditions that must be met:
- Employees of government agencies, employees of state-owned enterprises, as well as the Indonesian National Army and Police personnel must attach a print-out of a written permit from an Echelon II level official accompanied by a hand-written signature or the official’s electronic signature and the identity of the prospective traveller.
- Private company employees must attach a print out of a written permit from the company’s leadership which is affixed with a penned signature or electronic signature of the company manager and the identity of the prospective traveller.
- Informal sector workers must attach a print out of a written permit from the village head including their hand-written signature or electronic signature, as well as the identity of the prospective traveller.
- The non-working general public must attach a print out of a written permit from their village head with the hand-written signature or electronic signature of the head and the identity of the prospective traveller.