Indonesia considers ditching all quarantine rules for international arrivals from April
A government official in Indonesia says the country could lift all quarantine requirements for international arrivals from April, as the Covid-19 hospitalisation and death rates are now under control. According to a Bloomberg report, the suggestion was made by Luhut Panjaitan, who oversees the government’s pandemic response on the islands of Java and Bali. He went on to say that from next week, quarantine will be reduced from 5 days to 3 for international arrivals who’ve received a third vaccine dose. However, PCR testing on arrival will remain a condition of entry.
“We need to find that balance between the need to maintain health and the need to maintain the economy. Hospitalisation and death rates have been so much lower than those suffered during the Delta outbreak.”
Indonesia’s healthcare system was overwhelmed by the Delta variant last year, but the country is now attempting to adopt a “Living with Covid” strategy, despite the ongoing outbreak. Part of this strategy involves opening up to qualifying international visitors, similar to Singapore easing testing requirements for vaccinated arrivals last month.
According to the Bloomberg report, Indonesia reported 36,501 new cases yesterday, with deaths rising to 145, the highest since September 23. However, that is still a significant drop when compared to over 2,000 deaths reported in July last year. Meanwhile, Panjaitan says the Covid hospitalisation rate remains at around 30%.
Indonesia is also easing other Covid curbs, including increasing office capacity from 25% to 50%. As the situation improves, Panjaitan says other disease prevention measures could be relaxed.
Meanwhile, Tourism Minister Sandiaga Uno says the national airline, PT Garuda Indonesia, is in talks about resuming direct flights to and from Australia.
SOURCE: Bloomberg
