REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - The Indonesian government issued a policy to refuse international travelers from the Indian Territory to enter Indonesian Territory starting on Saturday (24/4). The Indonesian government has also stopped granting visas for Indian citizens.

Immigration Director General Jhoni Ginting said this policy was created to respond to the latest dynamics of the spike in daily Covid-19 cases in India.

Jhoni Ginting explained that the refusal to enter Indonesian Territory applies to all foreigners who have a history of travel from Indian Territory within 14 days before entering Indonesian territory.

"Apart from refusing entry to foreigners, we have also temporarily suspended the issuance of visas for Indian citizens," he said in a statement on Saturday (24/4).

This refusal to enter foreigners and Indians does not apply to Indonesian citizens who have a history of travel from Indian territory within 14 (fourteen) days before entering Indonesian territory. However, added Jhoni, the Indonesian government limited the entrance to a number of Immigration Checkpoints (TPI) only.

Jhoni then detailed the entry points for these Indonesian citizens who would return to Indonesia only through the Immigration Checkpoint (TPI) as follows:

1. Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Tangerang;

2. Juanda Airport in Surabaya;

3. Kualanamu Airport in Medan;

4. Sam Ratulangi Airport in Manado;

5. Batam Center Seaport in Batam;

6. Sri Bintan Pura Seaport in Tanjung Pinang;

7. Dumai Seaport in Dumai.

Jhoni emphasized this policy is temporary and will be evaluated by seeing the latest developments of covid-19 trend in India.

Indonesia was visited by hundreds of India citizens on Wednesday (21/4). They are suspected of exodus from their country becuase of covid-19 cases.

Indonesian Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin stated that 12 of the 127 India citizens arriving in Indonesia on Wednesday night were confirmed positive for Covid-19.

Genome sequencing is currently being carried out to detect variants of the corona virus that may have been carried by the passengers from India who were positive.

Jhoni Ginting confirmed that on Wednesday an Air Asia QZ988 plane had landed from India's Chennai Airport to Soekarno-Hatta Airport, Indonesia. The charter aircraft arrived in Indonesia carrying a total of 129 passengers.

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