Indonesia Imposes Travel Ban for 14 Countries to Suppress Omicron

JAKARTADAILY.ID – The high number of new confirmed cases of the Omicron COVID-19 variant has prompted the Indonesian government to impose travel bans for travelers from 14 countries.

The 14 countries are South Africa, Botswana, Norway, and France, as well as countries that are geographically close to these countries, namely Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Eswatini, Lesotho. In addition, there are countries with more than 10,000 Omicron cases, namely England and Denmark.

The Ministry of Health Spokesperson for the COVID-19 Vaccination, Siti Nadia Tarmizi said in a press release on Monday that the travel restriction is implemented because the spread of the Omicron variant is increasingly worrying, while the global cases of COVID-19 pandemic have reached around 300 million cases as of January 7, 2022. Currently, more than 110 countries have confirmed Omicron finds in their respective regions.

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Foreigners who are directly or in transit and or have previously lived within the last 14 days in the 14 countries are temporarily not allowed to enter Indonesia. This new rule is contained in the Circular of the Task Force for Handling COVID-19 Number 1 of 2022 concerning Health Protocols for Overseas Travel During the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic. This rule is effective from January 7, 2022, until an indefinite period.

Also Read: Indonesian Ministry of Health: Omicron 136 Cases, Stop Going Abroad

Exceptions apply to foreigners who have diplomatic and service visas related to official or state visits who enter Indonesia under the Travel Corridor Arrangement scheme, delegates from G20 member countries, foreigners under 15 years of age, foreigners who in the last 14 days have no travel history to those 14 countries, foreigners who have not been vaccinated because of comorbidities, KITAS (temporary stay permits) and KITAP (permanent stay permits) holders.

Meanwhile, Indonesian citizens who travel abroad are still allowed to enter Indonesia on the condition that they must meet the terms and conditions set by the government. However, Spokesperson Siti Nadia Tarmizi reiterated that the public should postpone or cancel plans to travel abroad for non-essential purposes. This is because Omicron has a much faster transmission rate than the existing variants, so the potential for contracting it is very high.

"We hope that people will not travel because the risk of contracting the Omicron variant is very high," said Dr. Nadia.

Also Read: Indonesia Bans State Officials from Going Overseas to Prevent Omicron Spread

414 New Cases

The Ministry of Health reported the total number of confirmed cases of Omicron until Saturday (January 8, 2022) had reached 414 people. There were 75 additional cases on Saturday. Overall, during December 2021 confirmed cases of Omicron reached 136 people, while from 2022 to January 8 there were 278 people.

Also Read: COVID-19 Updates: Indonesia Bars Arrivals from England and Denmark from Entering Borders

Of the 414 people, 31 people had cases of local transmission. The rest are foreign travelers. In addition, most of those infected with Omicron are those who have been fully vaccinated. (*)