Why Can Indian Foreigners Enter Indonesia? Ministry Of Health: They Have KITAS

JAKARTA - As many as 135 Indian citizens entered Indonesia at a time when COVID-19 cases were rising sharply in their country. In fact, currently, in general, foreign citizens (WNA) are prohibited from entering Indonesia. This is stated in the Covid-19 Kasatgas Circular Letter Number 6 of 2021.

Responding to this, the Head of Sub-Directorate for Health Quarantine of the Directorate General of Disease Prevention and Control (P2P) of the Ministry of Health, Benget Saragih, said that Indian foreigners who successfully entered Indonesia have a Limited Stay Permit Card (KITAS) to settle in Indonesia.

"They have KITAS," Benget said when he was confirmed, Friday, April 23.

KITAS is one of the requirements for foreigners to enter Indonesia during the COVID-19 pandemic, amidst the ban. However, there is one problem with the entry of Indian foreigners to Indonesia.

On Wednesday, April 21, 135 Indian citizens entered Indonesia. Hundreds of foreigners from India arrived in Indonesia using charter planes from India to land at Soekarno-Hatta Airport.

Then, the foreigner underwent another RT PCR examination and the results were 9 positive people. Currently, Indian foreigners who test positive for COVID-19 are undergoing quarantine at the hotel for 5x24 hours. Then, they will be done again with PCR swabs.

Spokesperson for the Task Force for Handling COVID-19 Wiku Adisasmito said the government would tighten up travelers from India. Because, currently the COVID-19 cases in India are soaring sharply.

The head of the Committee for Handling COVID-19 and National Economic Recovery (KCP-PEN) Airlangga Hartato will convey this trip tightening this afternoon.

"It will be further regulated by the government in order to tighten travelers who may come from India, pass through India, or transit in India," said Wiku when met by VOI at Graha BNPB.

Wiku said that the tightening of these restrictions was carried out so that Indonesia did not miss foreign travelers who brought the corona virus to Indonesia, even though they had brought negative test results from their place of origin.

Over the past two months, COVID-19 cases in India have seen a very sharp spike. The graph shows, initially India has managed to keep its positive cases from continuing to decline and remain at a low stable rate.

However, since mid-February until today, continued Wiku, the number of positive cases in India has jumped very sharply. "The cases in India from previously only around 9,000 new cases to more than 300,000 new cases per day. This means that the increase has reached more than 30 times," said Wiku.