Jakarta to let in foreigners once local vaccination targets are hit

Indonesia is planning to ease curbs on foreigners entering the country, possibly within months, once a certain proportion of its population is fully vaccinated.

Officials, though, appear to be divided on the number as well as when the border will be reopened.

National Covid-19 task force spokesman Wiku Adisasmito yesterday said foreigners could visit once "at least 50 per cent to 70 per cent" of the target population was fully vaccinated with both doses.

He said this would probably not be until next year, in response to a query from The Straits Times during a virtual briefing with foreign journalists.

But Reuters quoted Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin as saying on Tuesday that borders would be reopened once 70 per cent had received the first dose and that this was likely to be in November.

Currently, only foreigners with diplomatic or employment visas are allowed to enter Indonesia. Other exceptions include medical workers on humanitarian missions and shipping cargo crew.

South-east Asia's most populous nation, with a population of 270 million, has set a target to vaccinate 208.3 million people, or everyone aged above 12 with no underlying medical conditions.

As many as 72.7 million have had their first vaccine dose, and of those, 41.7 million have received the second as at Sunday. This means that as at Sunday, only 20 per cent of the target population has been fully vaccinated.

"Vaccine coverage has relatively improved in Indonesia. We will use that consideration to relax restrictions on some social, economic activities including foreigners' entry to Indonesia," said Professor Wiku.

He said foreigners would be able to visit "especially for business purposes and limited tourism".

Reuters reported Mr Budi as saying he was taking cues from the strategy adopted by Britain, which he said had prioritised rolling out first doses, achieving a lower rate of hospital admissions and fatalities. "So for us, we concentrate on the first dose. If we can vaccinate 70 per cent of the target population of 208 million, if we can hit 140 million to 150 million... with the first dose, then we can gradually start reopening," he was quoted as saying.

"And my calculation is that will be reached by November."

Reuters also reported Mr Budi as saying border restrictions would be eased even further once 70 per cent of the target population had been fully vaccinated.

Health Ministry spokesman Siti Nadia Tarmizi confirmed Mr Budi's comments, when contacted by The Straits Times yesterday.

Indonesia has more than 17,000 islands and currently, anyone wanting to travel within it - by air, sea or land - must be partially vaccinated. Entering shopping malls in Jakarta and other major cities, including Surabaya and Bandung, requires proof of vaccination.

Foreigners must be fully vaccinated and also test negative for Covid-19 pre-departure and upon arrival. Indonesia has 30 international airports, including those in Bali, Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Makassar and Medan.

The authorities have stepped up checks at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, the main gateway into the country, as more travellers who tested negative during pre-departure later returned positive results upon arrival, local media reported.

Many of these cases, between Aug 1 and Sept 6, involved Indonesian migrant workers returning home from Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates. Three cases were detected in travellers from Singapore.