The government is still reviewing the possibility of Indonesia’s participation in the Vaccinated Travel Lanes program to revive its tourism sector, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto has said.
The Vaccinated Travel Lanes program is a tourism concept implemented by several countries, including those in the Asia-Pacific, that is geared toward fully vaccinated travelers who possess vaccination certificates.
“The study on the Vaccinated Travel Lanes program continues to be carried out, and the government continues to monitor the rate of cases in various countries,” Hartarto said following an evaluation meeting on the mobility restrictions policy in the Presidential Palace Complex, here on Monday.
President Joko Widodo has instructed his ministers to keep an eye on policies regarding visits from foreign tourists, he added.
The government will scrutinize the pandemic situation in countries before establishing any travel agreements, especially considering the situation in Indonesia, where the pandemic is considerably under better control compared to other nations, he informed.
As per the data presented by the minister, currently, Indonesia has one COVID-19 case per 100 thousand residents. In comparison, Thailand has 89 cases per 100 thousand citizens, Singapore has 454 cases, Malaysia 127 cases, and Australia 51 cases, the minister pointed out.
Data as of November 14 has pegged the number of active COVID-19 cases in Indonesia at 9,018, with a daily increase of 339 cases.
Indonesia previously planned to open up a travel corridor with several countries, including Malaysia.
Both Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Malaysia Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob have carried out bilateral talks regarding the plan.
Source: Antara News