Riau Islands Dispar Waits For Singapore Tourist Policy Not To Require PCR Test

Lagoi Bay, one of the international-scale tourism areas in Lagoi, Bintan Regency, Riau Islands (Nikolas Panama)

TANJUNGPINANG - The Riau Islands Province Tourism Office is waiting for a policy that no longer requires tourists from Singapore, who visit international-scale tourist areas in Lagoi, Bintan and Nongsa Regencies, Batam, for a swab test using the PCR method.

The Head of the Riau Islands Tourism Office, Buralimar, said that the central government had issued a policy for land, sea and air travelers to no longer need antigen or PCR tests.

However, he continued, the regulation has not yet been stipulated in writing for tourists from Singapore who visit Lagoi and Nongsa in the Travel Bubble policy scheme.

"We are still waiting. If the policy of free PCR and antigen tests is realized, I am optimistic that tourists from Singapore visiting Lagoi and Nongsa will increase sharply," he said, quoted by Antara, Tuesday, March 8.

Currently, according to him, the number of tourists from Singapore visiting Lagoi and Nongsa is not significant. On March 1-5 2022, the number of tourists from Singapore who arrived at the Port of Nongsapura and Port of Bandar Bintan Telani Lagoi and Batam was 10 people, while in February 2022 there were 36 people.

This is inversely proportional to the number of domestic tourists visiting Lagoi. Last week the number of domestic tourists to Lagoi reached 500 people.

"If the PCR and antigen-free policy is effective, I am optimistic that thousands of people will visit Lagoi every day," he said.

Buralimar also felt relieved because the COVID-19 Handling Task Force realized the aspiration from the Riau Islands so that tourists from Singapore did not wait for the results of the PCR swab test at Nongsapura Port, Batam, but in hotel rooms located in the Travel Bubble integrated tourism area.

Previously, tourists from Singapore who visited Nongsa were waiting for the results of the PCR test at Nongsapura Port so that some of them felt uncomfortable.

"At the beginning of the opening of the Travel Bubble, only tourists visiting Lagoi received policy discretion so they could wait for the results of the PCR test in hotel rooms. Now, thank God, the COVID-19 Handling Task Force has issued a policy so that tourists wait for the results of the PCR test in hotel rooms," he said.

Buralimar explained that if the results of the PCR test on arrival show negative results, travelers can undergo quarantine in integrated tourism areas in Batam and Bintan.

On the other hand, if the results of the PCR test on arrival show positive results, tourists without symptoms will be isolated or treated in isolation accommodation separate from the "Travel Bubble" area.

For positive cases of COVID-19 with moderate or severe symptoms, isolation or treatment is carried out at a referral hospital.

"All costs of isolation or treatment for Indonesian citizens are borne by the government, while for foreigners are borne independently," he said.