Indonesia will gradually reopen to international tourists from October 14.
Indonesia will welcome back some international tourists to the popular resort island of Bali and other parts of the country from October 14. As the country continues to battle the pandemic, the government has decided to relax its travel regulations as confirmed cases of COVID-19 have dived from a peak two months ago. Indonesia plans to open the border in stages, starting with tourists from countries such as South Korea, China, Japan, New Zealand, Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
However visitors are required to quarantine for eight days and show proof of a hotel booking and health tests. "It will be countries that would meet certain criteria, like the COVID-19 situations being under control. In that particular country, the testing requirements would [need to] meet with our standard that we both agree," Tourism Minister Sandiaga Uno said.
Indonesia has had one of the worst Covid outbreaks in Southeast Asia, with more than 4 million positive cases and 42,261 deaths so far. Now cases are falling, the country is hoping to revive its battered tourism industry. "We are happy today that the reproduction rate is below one. It is the lowest during the pandemic and is indicating the pandemic is under control," Luhut Pandjaitan, the coordinating Minister for Maritime and Investment Affairs, told a news conference.
