Indonesia drops testing requirement, outdoor mask mandate
The government of Indonesia has announced that it will drop pre-departure test requirements for fully vaccinated domestic and international travellers from Wednesday 18 May
Mask mandates for outdoor public spaces have also been scrapped, although they remain in place indoors and on public transport.
According to Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin, who spoke at a press conference on Tuesday to announce the change, the new changes are part of the country’s transition to ‘living with the virus’ as the health impact of coronavirus continues to weaken.
Indonesia’s daily Covid case figures have declined significantly over the past months with 247 cases recorded for 17 May, from almost 60,000 at the current wave’s peak in mid-February.
However, the government has said that it is continuing to monitor the possibility of an uptick following the Eid-al-Fitr holiday celebrations earlier this month.
Indonesia’s decision to ease its international travel requirements comes at a time when the Asia-Pacific region lags behind others in relaxing its Covid travel rules. Willie Walsh of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) described the Asia-Pacific ‘playing catch-up on restarting travel’ during his keynote address at the Changi Aviation Summit earlier this month.
Oliver Cuenca
Oliver Cuenca is a Junior Editor for Voyageur Group, joining in 2021. He writes for both ITIJ and AirMed&Rescue, covering a range of topics including international travel and health insurance, medical assistance provision and air medical transportation. He also serves as Title Editor of the Assistance & Repatriation Reviews. Oliver holds an MA in Magazine Journalism from Cardiff University, as well as a BA in English with Creative Writing from Falmouth University.