Foreigners Are Prohibited From Entering Indonesia, Indonesian Citizens From Abroad Are Allowed With Special Requirements

JAKARTA - Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said Indonesian citizens are still allowed to enter the country, when foreigners are prohibited from entering on January 1 to 14, 2021.

Retno said this decision was based on a limited meeting chaired by President Joko Widodo along with the line ministries and the COVID-19 Handling Task Force.

"In accordance with Law Number 6 Year 2011 Article 14, Indonesian citizens are still allowed to return to Indonesia in accordance with the COVID-19 Task Force Circular Letter Number 3 of 2020," Retno said in a YouTube broadcast of the Presidential Secretariat, Monday, December 28.

First, Indonesian citizens who return to Indonesia from today to January 14, 2021 must show negative results through the RT-PCR test in the country of origin which is valid a maximum of 2x24 hours before the time of departure.

Also, attach an international Indonesian electronic health alert card (eHAC) during medical examinations at the airport.

Upon arrival in Indonesia, Indonesian citizens are required to re-examine the RT-PCR. If it shows a negative result, then carry out mandatory quarantine for 5 days, starting from the date of arrival at the quarantine accommodation provided by the government.

"After the 5-day quarantine, Indonesian citizens re-examine the RT PCR. If the results are negative, they are allowed to continue their journey," he explained.

Meanwhile, the government decided to prohibit foreign nationals (WNA) from entering Indonesia for two weeks in early 2021.

"The limited cabinet meeting on December 28, 2020 decided to temporarily close from January 1 to 14, 2021, the entry of foreign nationals or foreigners from all countries to Indonesia," said Retno.

Then, for foreigners who arrived in Indonesia from December 28 to December 31, they were still allowed to enter Indonesia with the same protocol provisions as Indonesian citizens, in the form of re-PCR tests and quarantine for five days.

As is known in South Wales, England has found a new variant of COVID-19. The government hopes that this new virus will not worsen the development of handling COVID-19 in Indonesia.

Currently, the new virus has also attacked other countries such as Singapore, Nigeria, France, and South Korea.