In response to the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the government of Indonesia has announced the country will impose a temporary travel ban on citizens of eight nations currently most at risk from the virus. The restrictions will come into effect from this Friday, 20th March.
The news was confirmed today (17/3) by Indonesia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Retno Marsudi. According to the minister, Indonesia’s government will block the arrival of travellers who have been to any of eight of the world’s worst-hit countries in the last 14 days. This will include visits in transit.
The countries named in Indonesia’s travel ban are Iran, Italy, the Vatican, Spain, France, Germany, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
For Indonesian citizens who visit the countries in question, a process of inspection will be carried out by the Port Health Office upon arrival. If these passengers show symptoms of COVID-19, they will be held for observation in a government quarantine facility for 14 days.
At present, it is not clear how long the emergency measures will remain in place, although the minister did confirm in her statement that they are intended to be short-term.
“This policy is temporary and will be evaluated in accordance with developments,” said Retno.
