As part of sweeping plans to rejuvenate the tourism industry, the Indonesian government has confirmed tourism workers will be first to receive the Covid-19 vaccine. Inoculation programmes are being set up in 10 popular tourism locations nationwide, in a bid to prepare the sector for the imminent return of international arrivals.
The 10 destinations featured in the programme include Pondok Indah, Kemang Village and GKI Surya Utama in Jakarta; Lake Toba in North Sumatra; Borobudur Temple in Magelang, Central Java; and Jogja International Expo-City, Jogjakarta. Several other areas are expected to be added in the coming weeks, as Indonesia continues to expand immunity for the entire population. Tourism workers in these locations can apply for drive-through vaccinations using a range of dedicated healthcare applications.
The good news was confirmed by Indonesia’s Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno, who confirmed that anyone working in the tourism industry – along with anyone over 60 years of age – can register for vaccinations through the Alodokter, Homecare24 and Medithru apps.
One of Indonesia’s most popular tourism destinations is Jogjakarta, where an estimated 31,000 people working in the tourism business are expected to be inoculated during the second phase of Covid-19 vaccinations. This group not only includes guides and drivers, but also staff of restaurants, attractions, tourism associations and city tourism officials.
“The data of 31,000 people working in the tourism business have been sent to the Jogjakarta health agency,” explains Singgih Rahardjo, who is the head of the city tourism agency. He added that the vaccination programme is expected to help restore confidence when visitors return to the city. Completion of the vaccination drive for tourism workers will depend first on data collection, and then on the availability of vaccines and those who can administer them.
Split into four phases according to priority, Indonesia’s nationwide Covid-19 vaccination programme officially began on 13 January 2021. The government aims to inoculate a total of 181.5 million people (two-thirds of the population) by early 2022. As of 27 April 2021, a total of 11,981,034 Indonesians had received the vaccine, with around 135,000 new vaccinations being completed every day. A total of 7,178,768 have already received the second dose – 180,464 more than the previous day. In Jakarta, 1,822,711 people have received the first jab, while 1,104,607 more have had the second vaccination and are now immune to Covid-19.
Almost 100% of the Panorama Destination team has already received the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, with more inoculations scheduled for the weeks ahead.
