The government will reduce the duration of the quarantine period for foreign travellers for both foreign and Indonesian citizens. Previously, the duration of the quarantine period was five days, and now it will reduce it to three days. Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Panjaitan, said this Monday, February 14, 2022. (This is according to a report from Travel.Tempo.co). He said that, the government would reduce to three days for foreign nationals and Indonesians who had received booster vaccines starting next week.
Luhut also said they were obligate to carry out entry and exit PCR tests. The PCR exit requirements are carried out on the third day in the morning. Overseas travellers can leave the quarantine location when the test result is negative.
Even so, 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.
Reasons for Reducing Quarantine Period to 3 Days
Furthermore, Luhut said that the government would reduce the quarantine period to three days. It starts March 1, 2022, if the situation improves. “If the situation continues to improve and vaccinations continue to increase, then it is possible that on April 1, 2022 or before that, there will no longer be a centralized quarantine. This depends on the pandemic situation and so that we control the spread of the virus,” he said.
Currently, 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 the arts, cultural and social activities of the community, and public facilities. The government will allow the tourist attractions to increase their visitor capacity to 50 per cent. Previously, the government only allowed 25 per cent.
Good News for Bali Tourism
This policy will affect two sectors, including tourism and foreign business. 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 over two years, and the tourism business is down 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, this depends on the development of the coronavirus, especially the new variant in Indonesia.
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