Members Of The House Of Representatives Propose Close Access To International Travel, Especially Air: This Virus Comes From Overseas

Illustration. (Photo: Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Member of Commission V of the DPR RI, Irwan, wants access to international travel, including those using air transportation, to be closed immediately, not only domestic routes are restricted.

"Another most important thing is to close the entrances for international travel on land, sea, and even more so by air," said Irwan in a press release in Jakarta, quoted from Antara, Monday, July 5.

According to him, the closure of international travel is important because a number of new variants of the corona virus come from abroad, such as India, Britain and South Africa.

He emphasized that the implementation of the Emergency Community Activity Restriction (PPKM) would not run optimally if only the movement of domestic residents was limited.

"PPKM will not be optimal if what is limited is only people who already live in Java and Bali. Remember, this virus is not an endemic virus, but a virus that comes from abroad," said Irwan.

For this reason, he urged the central government to immediately close the entrance to international travel.

As reported by the Ministry of Transportation (Kemenhub), international flight personnel regulations during the Emergency PPKM period need to be obeyed by foreign civil aircraft personnel.

"First, personnel are required to show a card or certificate that has received a complete dose of vaccine and a negative PCR test in the country of origin, whose samples were taken within a maximum period of 7x24 hours before departure," said Director General of Civil Aviation at the Ministry of Transportation Novie Riyanto in Jakarta, Sunday, July 4. .

Furthermore, foreign aircraft personnel are permitted to disembark from the aircraft and wait or stay overnight according to the needs of the transit period in the area or special facilities provided by the aircraft operator.

"During the waiting period or during the stay, aircraft personnel are not allowed to leave special areas or facilities with the full supervision and responsibility of the aircraft operator with assistance from flight security inspectors," said Novie.

Finally, the vaccine requirement is excluded for foreign aircraft personnel who only make transit flights and do not leave the aircraft.

He added that specifically related to the operation of aircraft, the Ministry of Transportation will add an addendum to Circular Letter No. 8 of the Head of the Task Force on International Travel Health Protocols During the COVID-19 Pandemic.