Task Force Removes Prohibition on Foreign Nationals From Entering Indonesia Regarding The Spread Of Omicron

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JAKARTA - The COVID-19 Handling Task Force removed the rules regarding the prohibition of foreign nationals (WNA) from a number of countries from entering Indonesia with the spread of cases of COVID-19 Omicron quite high.

Previously, there were 14 countries that were banned from entering Indonesia, namely South Africa, Botswana, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Eswatini, Lesotho, Norway, France, England and Denmark.

The abolition of this prohibition is contained in the Circular (SE) of the Covid-19 Task Force Number 2/2022 concerning the Health Protocol for Overseas Travel during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Spokesman for the COVID-19 Task Force, Wiku Adisasmito, said that this decision was motivated by the development of the Omicron distribution which has spread to many countries. In total, 150 of the 195 countries in the world have had cases of Omicron.

"If the regulation on limiting the list of countries persists, it will make it difficult for cross-country movements which are still needed to maintain state stability, including the recovery of the national economy," said Wiku in his statement, Friday, January 14.

Wiku said the decision to remove the list of countries of origin for foreigners who were not allowed to enter Indonesia was also accompanied by the determination of the criteria for foreigners, which remained the same as regulated in the previous task force circular letter.

Thus, continued Wiku, the government has now equalized the duration of quarantine for travelers from all countries to 7x24 hours. Wiku said the one week quarantine period was quite effective.

This policy is contained in the SK KaSatgas No. 3 of 2022 concerning Entry Points, Quarantine Places and RTPCR Obligations for Indonesian Citizens Traveling Overseas.

"This determination is supported by scientific findings in various countries, including a study by Brandal et al in 2021 that the median incubation period for cases of Omicron variants is 3 days after first exposure," said Wiku.

In addition, the initial report on the results of the epidemiological investigation of the Omicron variant in Japan in 2022 also stated that the number of viruses in patients would reach its highest point on the third to sixth day after symptoms appeared.

Then, a team of experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States recommended a shorter quarantine period after it was scientifically proven that a person's ability to positively infect other people occurred at the beginning of infection, which is on days 1-2 before symptoms appear until 2-3 days after.

"This quarantine principle is a period of detecting symptoms because there is time from when someone is infected until they show symptoms. Thus, the escape of infected people into the community can be avoided," he added.