Indonesia Drops Outdoor Mask Mandate Starting Today as Covid Infections Drop

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Indonesia drops requirements for people to mask up outdoors and for vaccinated travelers to show negative pre-departure tests as Covid-19 infections decline in the Southeast Asian country.

Masks are no longer required outdoors as “the pandemic is getting more and more controlled”, President Joko Widodo said in a statement streamed online on Tuesday, May 17.

But masks must still be worn indoors and on public transportation, he said, also recommending that the elderly and those with underlying health conditions or coughs continue to use them as well.

The new mask rules are set to take effect on Wednesday, May 18.

Also read: South Korea to End Outdoor Mask Mandate Next Week

Indonesia will also no longer require a negative pre-departure test for foreign and domestic travelers, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin told a news conference.

The latest measures were part of the country’s transition to living with the virus, he said.

The easing of pandemic restrictions in Indonesia follows countries like Singapore, South Korea, and Malaysia which also dropped their outdoor mask mandates in recent weeks.

Indonesia’s daily Covid cases have declined since the last peak in February, although the government has said it is monitoring the possibility of an uptick after the annual mass exodus during the Eid-al-Fitr holiday earlier this month.

Source: Reuters