Acting Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Teuku Faizasyah, has stated that up to now, the government has not been allowing foreign nationals to enter Indonesian territory, except for essential travellers with strict terms and conditions.
Faiza was responding to questions about the possibility of the government banning flights to and from the UK as is currently being done by a number of countries. The fresh restrictions come following the discovery of a new variant of the coronavirus which has caused COVID-19 transmission to be much faster.
British Chief Medical Officer Chris Witty said they had reported the discovery of a new variant of the coronavirus to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Several countries have now imposed a ban on flights from the UK, including the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Canada, Austria, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Turkey, Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and El Salvador.
Meanwhile, the Circular of the Directorate General of Immigration at the Ministry of Law and Human Rights regarding the temporary prohibition of foreigners from entering Indonesian territory is still valid.
However, the Indonesian government has collaborated with a number of countries such as South Korea, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates to allow for essential business travel arrangements during the COVID-19 pandemic.