Indonesia to Reopen Batam, Bintan to Foreign Travelers from Oct. 14

KOMPAS.com – Indonesia is set to reopen its islands of Batam and Bintan in Sumatera to international travelers starting from October 14.

The announcement was made a week after the plan to reopen Bali.

“We will start trial runs for reopening Bali and some other destinations namely Batam and Bintan on October 14,” Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno said during the “Batik Nusantara Celebration” event at The Phoenix Hotel Yogyakarta, Sunday, October 10.

The government is finalizing its new quarantine period which will be reduced to five days from eight days.

Batam and Bintan Islands ready to welcome foreign tourists

SHUTTERSTOCK / Danis Suma Wijaya Barelang Bridge in Batam island.

Tourist destinations in Bintan and Nongsa Batam in Riau island are set to welcome foreign travelers since September following good indicators of tackling the Covid-19 cases and vaccination rates, Antara news agency reported.

The number of Covid-19 cases continues to decline and no new cases were reported in two consecutive days last month. About 79 percent of its population received the second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine and tour operators in the areas strictly implement the health protocols and cleanliness, health, safety, and environment (CHSE) measures to stem the spread of coronavirus.

The quarantine period is reduced

Previously, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said that the quarantine period would be reduced to five days considering the incubation period of Covid-19 and the number of confirmed cases continues to decline.

“It’s reduced to five days because the incubation period for Covid-19 to be between four and eight days,” Luhut told a virtual press conference on Monday.

Besides, the reduction in the quarantine period for foreign tourists also takes into account the Covid-19 condition in Indonesia, which has begun to improve. Over the past week, the national daily Covid-19 cases fell 98.4 percent compared to mid-July when the cases increased significantly.

(Writer: Nabilla Ramadhian | Editor: Anggara Wikan Prasetya)

Source: https://travel.kompas.com/read/2021/10/12/121648327/batam-dan-bintan-juga-sambut-turis-asing-mulai-14-oktober-2021?page=all#page2.