Over 24,000 Foreigners Enter Indonesia amid Effort to Suppress Covid-19

TANGERANG, KOMPAS.com - A total of 24,594 foreign nationals have arrived in Indonesia via Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang near Jakarta from June 1 to July 6, an official confirmed.  

Head of Immigration Information and Communication Technology at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport Sam Fernando said mostly they were citizens of China, Japan, South Korea, the US, and Russia.

"The top five foreign visitor arrivals comprise 5,298 people from China, 2,155 people from Japan, 1,731 people from South Korea, 1,728 people from the US, and 984 people from Russia," Sam said, Tuesday, July 6.

Also read: Emergency Measures Will Start July 3 amid Covid-19 Surge: Jokowi

Besides, the immigration authority also recorded that the arrival of Indonesian citizens from abroad via Soekarno-Hatta Airport reaching about 46,580 passengers from June 1 to July 6.

"In total 71,174 passengers comprising Indonesian citizens and foreigners have arrived in Soekarno-Hatta Airport from June 1 to July 6," Sam said.  

Meanwhile, the record of the departure of Indonesian citizens and foreigners from the airport during the same period reached 69,549 passengers.

"In detail, about 41,468 Indonesian citizens and 28,081 foreigners departed from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport during the same period," he said, adding that the top five destination countries include China, South Korea, Japan, the US and Russia.

The immigration allowed the foreigners to enter Indonesia territory based on a circular letter of the Covid-19 Handling Task Force No. 8/2021 on International Travel Health Protocols during the Covid-19 Pandemic. 

Also read: Indonesia Clarifies Foreign Workers Arrivals amid Covid Fallout

However, the immigration authority has denied entry to 43 foreigners as they could not provide a clear purpose of the visit and some were banned from entering the country.  

Currently, the government is still imposing a ban on foreigners entering Indonesian territory to prevent a spike in the Covid-19 cases after new variants of concerns were found in the country.

This prohibition refers to the Regulation of the Minister of Law and Human Rights No.26/2020 on visas and residence permits. This rule excludes the entry of foreigners for essential purposes such as working on national strategic projects, family unions and humanitarian reasons.

However, starting from July 6, all international travelers are required to carry out RT-PCR retests and to undergo quarantine for eight days upon their arrival.

All international travelers must comply with the requirements related to the Covid-19 vaccination. Indonesian citizens and foreigners are required to show a complete dose of the Covid-19 vaccine certificate, both physical and digital upon arrival in Indonesia.

(Writer: Muhammad Naufal | Editor: Irfan Maullana)

Source: https://megapolitan.kompas.com/read/2021/07/06/15022521/24594-wna-masuk-indonesia-lewat-bandara-soekarno-hatta-pada-1-juni-6-juli