Boarding The Mandatory PCR Plane, Sandiaga Uno: To Anticipate The Third Wave And The Christmas and New Year Holiday

Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno. (Photo: Instagram @sandiuno)

JAKARTA - Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Uno, explained that the new rule for mandatory PCR tests as a condition for Java-Bali flights was the government's effort to anticipate the surge in the third wave of COVID-19 cases.

Sandi said the tightened health protocol rules would further distance Indonesia from the potential third wave. Moreover, currently found new variants in several countries.

"In anticipation of the Nataru (Christmas and New Year) holidays and the third wave, and new variants such as delta-X or sub-delta in some parts of the world such as the UK", said Sandi, in a press briefing, quoted Tuesday, October 26.

The mandatory PCR policy, said Sandi, must be carried out considering that currently, several airlines have also implemented full passenger capacity in their operations.

"Because the flight requirements are no longer 70 percent and are already 100 percent. So a decision was taken, there was a belief that those traveling did not have COVID-19, then a PCR test had to be done", he said.

On the other hand, Sandi realized that the interest of domestic tourists to travel again was high, especially to Bali. In fact, the figure reaches 10 to 11 thousand visitors per day. This figure has doubled from the period of restrictions on the application of public policies (PPKM) last July.

Therefore, said Sandi, the obligation to test PCR is considered to be a brake on tourist visits to Bali who have just recovered, so that a COVID-19 cluster does not occur. According to Sandi, the risk of increasing cases must be reduced because in 2022 Indonesia will host the equipment for the G20 Summit.

"We don't want to take risks. We take the presidency of the G20 event, so Bali (as the location of the G20) must be guarded so that there are no clusters. This is input so that we take the right policy", he explained.

Regarding the complaints of tourists and tourism business managers in Bali, Sandi said the government imposed an upper limit on the price of the PCR test at IDR 300 thousand.

"Hopefully it can lighten the load a little", he said.

Sandi also said that the PCR test results can be used within 3x24 hours. Previously, the PCR test was only valid for 2x24 hours.