Immigration Explains about Chinese Workers Arriving Indonesia amid Covid-19

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – The Law and Human Rights Ministry's Immigration Directorate General confirmed Saturday that 153 Chinese nationals have arrived in Indonesia via Soekarno-Hatta International Airport near Jakarta.

Their arrival went viral on social media following the government’s decision to ban the entry of foreign nationals from January 15-25 because of Covid-19 concern.

“A China Southern Airlines flight from Guangzhou landed [in Soekarno-Hatta Airport] on Saturday, January 23, 2021, with 171 passengers on board. The passengers comprised 153 Chinese nationals and 18 Indonesian nationals,” said Ahmad Nursaleh, head of public relations at the Immigration Directorate General on Monday, January 23.

Also read: Indonesia Extends Ban on Foreigners to End of January

Nursaleh said out of the 153 Chinese citizens, 150 hold Indonesian temporary stay permits (ITAS) and permanent stay permits (ITAP) while three others hold foreign diplomatic visas.

“All the aforementioned foreign passengers are categorized as foreigners who are allowed to enter Indonesian territory based on circular issued by the Director General of Immigration regarding the temporary prohibition of foreigners entering Indonesia during the Covid-19 pandemic,” Nursaleh added.

The circular mentioned that Indonesia temporarily prohibits all foreigners from entering or transiting within the Indonesian territory, except for foreigners who hold Indonesian diplomatic visa or service visa, ITAS/ITAP, and workers of medical, food, and humanitarian aid, among others.

Also read: Indonesia Highlights: Indonesia to Receive 15 Million Doses of Covid-19 Bulk Vaccine Tuesday | Indonesia Extends Ban on Foreigners to End of January | Water Park near Jakarta Closed for Flouting Covid

He explained that the health and immigration documents of the passengers had also been screened.

“Then they proceeded to the quarantine center which was assisted by the Covid-19 Handling Task Force Team,” said Nursaleh.

Previously, the photos of hundreds of Chinese workers arriving at the Soekarno-Hatta Airport went viral on social media. Upon arriving, they appeared to be wearing personal protective equipment.

(Writer: Ardito Ramadhan | Editor: Krisiandi)

Source: https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2021/01/25/08161381/penjelasan-imigrasi-soal-153-wn-china-tiba-lewat-bandara-soekarno-hatta.