Warning For Migrant Workers Who Want To Come To Indonesia Via Batam, There Are Restrictions At International Entrances

Illustration. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - The Minister of Transportation, Budi Karya Sumadi, has directly reviewed the implementation of restrictions on international entrances, one of which is at the Batam Port, effective as of yesterday. To support this policy, the Ministry of Transportation has issued a Circular on Guidelines for the Implementation of Travel for People from Overseas either by land, sea and air.

Budi said this step was taken as an effort to anticipate and prevent the spread of new virus variants of COVID-19 including Varian Mu (B.1.621) entering Indonesia, through transportation nodes that serve international routes.

"Today I was assigned to Batam by the President that special cross-border surveillance must be carried out from abroad to Indonesia," he said in a written statement, Friday, September 17.

Budi said the Regional Leadership Coordination Forum (Forkopimda) showed a good response to coordination from the center, therefore I appreciate the Governor, Kapolda, Danrem and others.

Furthermore, Budi said, the average number of Indonesian Migrant Workers (PMI) who came through Batam Port was 100 people, in the future more ideal steps will be taken to make it even better, such as accelerating PCR results and vaccinations.

"In a few days the Ministry of Health and the COVID-19 Handling Task Force will provide a type of PCR with the Molecular Rapid Test (TCM) method, the results of which can be known within a few hours. So that migrant workers who leave this point of arrival will know which one is positive or negative. ," he said.

Budi recommended that if on the seventh day of quarantine the PCR results were negative, on the eighth day, the migrant workers should be vaccinated.

As is known, the Ministry of Transportation has issued a Circular Letter concerning Instructions for the Implementation of Travel of People from Abroad by Land Transportation Circular Letter Number 75 of 2021, Sea Circular Letter Number 76 of 2021, and Air Circular Letter Number 74 of 2021.

Through the three SEs of the Ministry of Transportation, restrictions have been placed on the arrivals of international travelers, both at the National Border Post (PLBN), ports, and airports. For airports that are opened only at Soekarno Hatta and Sam Ratulangi Airports, Manado. Ports are only opened at Batam and Nunukan ports. Also, PLBN is only opened at Entikong and Aruk Terminals

"The targets of these restrictions and regulations on health requirements are Indonesian migrant workers, Indonesian citizens (WNI), and foreign nationals (WNA), crew of ships and passenger and cargo planes, who will enter Indonesia," he said.