Indonesia increases travel restrictions as it prepares for the arrival of the Omicron COVID-19 variant

[ASEAN NOW Content Team]

 

In a preemptive step to stop the spread of the Omicron COVID-19 form should it reach Southeast Asia's largest country, Indonesian authorities have tightened border controls, extended quarantine, and prohibited travel on important toll highways.

Scientists believe Omicron, which has been found in more than a dozen nations, is more transmissible than previous forms, posing a threat to global economic recovery.
According to the World Health Organization, more than 50 countries have recently imposed new travel restrictions.

 

Indonesia, previously Asia's coronavirus epicentre, has yet to confirm the presence of Omicron, but it is stepping up measures to mitigate the risk, including increasing the necessary quarantine period for new arrivals from seven to ten days.

"This policy... will be reassessed on a regular basis as we learn more about this new version and continue to dig for additional information," senior minister Luhut Pandjaitan said in a statement on Wednesday (Dec 1).

Travel to Indonesia will be prohibited from 11 countries, including South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, and Nigeria, with the exception of returning Indonesians, who will be isolated for 14 days.

 

According to the transport minister, new domestic travel measures include limiting the volume of cars on toll highways to reduce people movement.

In Indonesia, official data showed a dramatic drop in new daily infections, with an average of under 400 last month compared to around 40,000 in July.
More than a third of the country's 270 million people have been vaccinated.

 

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