JAKARTA, 7 July 2021: The latest advisories remain on high alert for travel to Indonesia and the famous tourist island of Bali due to health risks from the Covid-19 pandemic and the disruption to global travel.
They point to a peak in Covid-19 transmission that is inflicting considerable pressure on hospitals that are running short of beds and ventilators in the capital Jakarta and other parts of Java.
The Indonesian Government has announced strict new restrictions, including on travel until at least 20 July. All domestic air travel requires evidence of at least the first Covid-19 jab and a negative Covid-19 (PCR) test taken within 48 hours of travel.
Foreigners who have permission to travel to Indonesia must show proof they have received the full vaccination doses to travel to Indonesia and undertake mandatory hotel quarantine for eight days. These requirements also apply to children under 18.
Disappointed travel industry executives in Bali admit that reopening for international tourists is now on the back burner. They were hoping to replicate the Phuket Sandbox scheme that Thailand launched last week to open Bali to vaccinated international travellers. The initial plan was to create travel bubbles between Singapore Batam and Bintan that would ultimately extend if safe and successful to include a travel corridor between Singapore and Bali.
Batam and Bintan islands are part of the Riau Islands, the closest Indonesian province to Singapore. Travel links from Singapore to the two islands have been closed since March 2020.
Commenting on the outlook, Coconuts Bali on Monday said: “The Covid-19 crisis in Indonesia is looking ghastly, and the situation is not in any way pleasant here in Bali. Amid all this, President Joko Widodo finally ordered tighter new restrictions to battle the new surge today.
“That can only mean a pause to Bali’s international tourism plans. Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Pandjaitan has all but confirmed that the reopening of Bali to foreign tourists, which was previously slated for July or August of this year, has now been delayed.”
(Source: Government advisories and Coconuts Bali)
