By BOTT Desk
This comes after the nation lifted a ban on all foreign arrivals and on Feb. 4 will reduce the quarantine period to five days from seven for fully vaccinated foreigners, Luhut Panjaitan, a cabinet minister who also oversees the government’s pandemic response, said on Monday. Those with only one shot of Covid-19 vaccine must continue to comply with a seven-day quarantine.
Singapore Airlines Ltd. will restart daily flights to Bali from February 16, the carrier separately said in an e-mail to customers on Monday. Singapore and Indonesia resumed quarantine-free travel between the city-state and the nearby Indonesian islands of Batam and Bintan last week.
Famous for its temples and beaches, Bali started a limited reopening in October but requirements including a 10-day quarantine, a visa with a local sponsor and an international health insurance have put off visitors.
From Feb. 4, visitors can use direct or connecting international flights to come to the island, Wiku Adisasmito, spokesman at the country’s Covid-19 Task Force, said on Monday. The status of Bali’s other requirements like a visa with a local sponsor and a health insurance will be addressed by a separate regulation soon, he said.
Indonesia’s looser quarantine requirements come as Covid-19 cases rise. An average of 9,150 new infections in the last seven days through Monday were reported, from just 190 at the start of the year. Still, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin expects the current wave to peak in February and hospitalizations to remain manageable, as most new cases appear mild.
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