Batam Proposes Special Vaccinated Travel Lane With Singapore

ILLUSTRATION OF DOCK BETWEEN

BATAM - The Batam City Government, Riau Islands, proposed that the central government enforce a special tourist route policy for visitors who have received the COVID-19 vaccination, or Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) between the local area and Singapore.

Batam Mayor Muhammad Rudi conveyed that the proposal had been submitted to the Secretary of the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs Susiwijono Moegiarso, following the establishment of a VTL policy by the Singapore Government for visitors from Batam and Bintan in the Riau Islands Province.

With the VTL policy, visitors who have received the complete COVID-19 vaccine do not need to undergo COVID-19 quarantine.

"We are proposing what we have (VTL). So if there is no quarantine, we hope here too. I have reported to the Minister of Coordination, because it is free there, I want it to be free here," said Mayor Rudi, quoted by Antara, Thursday, February 17th.

Rudi said the VTL policy was different from the travel bubble currently being implemented between Singapore and the Nongsa Sensation area in Batam and Lagoi in Bintan.

If in the travel bubble, visitors are not allowed to leave the bubble area, then the VTL also allows the movement of visitors to various areas in Batam.

"If it's VTL, it's not Nongsa anymore. You can go anywhere. If the travel bubble is a certain location that is allowed, then VTL can go anywhere. That's what we propose," he said.

In line with the Mayor of Batam, the Head of the Riau Islands Province Tourism Office, Buralimar, stated that he had also proposed a VTL policy for the area with Singapore.

"We ask the central government to implement VTL, so VTL is the same as Singapore, reciprocal. Reciprocal," he said.