Indonesia Will Reduce Quarantine Period to 3 Days
The government of Indonesia will reduce the quarantine period for foreign travelers for both foreign and Indonesian citizens. Previously, the quarantine period was five days, and the new schedule will be three days. Mr. Luhut Panjahitan (Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment) said this on Monday, February 14, 2022. He said that the foreign nationals and Indonesians who had received booster vaccines would get a reduction of the quarantine to three days.
Luhut also said they were obliged to conduct entry and exit PCR tests. The PCR exit requirements are carried out on the third day in the morning. Overseas travelers can leave the quarantine location when the test result is negative.
And also, Luhut said, those who have finished quarantine are advised to continue to carry out PCR tests independently on the fifth day. Also, they report their health condition to the nearest health facility.
Indonesia Gives Reasons for Reducing Quarantine Period to 3 Days
Furthermore, Luhut said that reducing the quarantine period to three days would be implemented starting March 1, 2022, if the situation continued to improve. “We will look into the situation further. If the situation continues to improve and vaccinations continue to increase, it is possible that there will no longer be a centralized quarantine on April 1, 2022, or before that. This depends on the pandemic situation and so that we control the spread of the virus,” he said.
The government is extending the Imposition of Restrictions on Community Activities for Java-Bali until February 21, 2022. However, in this extension, the government provides additional concessions. It includes arts, cultural and social activities of the community, and public facilities. Moreover, tourist attractions are increasing their visitor capacity by 50 percent. Previously, the government only allowed 25 percent.
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What Effect on Bali Tourism?
Tourism and international business will get the effect by this policy. Like Bali, of course, this will open up opportunities to bring in foreign tourists to vacation on this paradise island. We know that Bali is experiencing an economic downturn due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been going on for more than two years. The tourism business is suspended on this island.
Many tourism businesses have closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It includes hotels, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, art shops, etc. Of course, this will increase the unemployment rate.
The news of the reduction in the quarantine period is a breath of fresh air for the people of Bali. Hope for improvement has begun to appear. However, it depends on the development of the coronavirus, especially the new variant in Indonesia.
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