Bali to deport 4 tourists for not wearing masks, breaking disease control orders

Four tourists in Bali are being deported after they apparently did not follow local disease control measures during their stay on the resort island in Indonesia. Some didn’t wear face masks while the other, who was infected with Covid-19, apparently left a quarantine hotel during her mandatory isolation period.

Covid-19 has been on the rise in the Southeast Asian country, as in most of the other ASEAN nations. Since the start of the pandemic, Indonesia has recorded more than 2.5 million Covid-19 infections and more than 67,000 deaths.

Last Thursday, 3 travellers from the US, Ireland and Russia were detained after they were seen in the Kuta tourist area not wearing face masks. As of yesterday, the tourists were in a detention centre at the immigration office waiting for flights back to their home countries.

Bali imposed strict measures on masks to curb the spread of the virus. Foreigners who do not wear masks properly face a fine of 1 million rupiah, which is about US$70, and those who do not wear the mask at all face deportation.

Also last Thursday, a Russian tourist who tested positive for Covid-19 upon arrival left the quarantine hotel and was detained later that night. The head of the Justice and Human Rights Ministry office in Bali said the woman is now at a quarantine centre in Denpasar, the capital of Bali. When she recovers from the virus, she will be deported.

SOURCE: Associated Press