JAKARTA, 18 May 2020: Indonesia has tightened rules for citizens and foreign nationals travelling to the country that requires they present a health certificate from the country of origin to health officials on arrival, the Health Ministry announced at the weekend.
Medical officials assigned by the Public Health Ministry will also interview, and conduct temperature scans, as well as other Covid-19 relevant checks for symptoms including the so-called rapid onsite test or a laboratory-based test that provides a result within two days.
First reported by Antara, the national news agency, the rule applies to all travellers including Indonesian returning home. The country has strict quarantine procedures and medical checks in place at all border checkpoints, land air and sea. Foreigners are required to enter a mandatory 14-day quarantine at their own cost. They were previously banned from visiting the country, but that rule has now been eased.
Health certificates are valid for seven days from the date of issue and are validated by public health officials at the point of entry.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy introduced a CHS (Cleanliness, Health, and Safety) programme at all tourist destinations across the country.
Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Ni Wayan Giri Adnyani, said the health, hygiene and safety standards would be launched as a pilot project in Bali.
“The CHS movement aims to increase tourist confidence in Indonesia’s tourism destinations. It will encourage tourists to visit Indonesia, once the Covid-19 crisis has been contained, but in the initial stages it will target domestic tourists,” he told a press conference late last week.
