Indonesia cut off as Covid-19 infections spread

More nations have announced bans and restrictions on arrivals from Indonesia as a Covid-19 outbreak continues to rage in the Southeast Asian country.

Police and military officers check motorcyclists heading into Jakarta’s CBD on Thursday. Picture: AFP

More nations have announced bans and restrictions on arrivals from Indonesia as a Covid-19 outbreak continues to rage in the Southeast Asian country, surpassing even worst-case projections by public health officials.

The Philippines has joined Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirate, Oman, Taiwan and Hong Kong in banning all travellers from Indonesia for the rest of this month over fears of the quick-spreading Delta variant of the coronavirus.

“President Rodrigo Duterte has approved the travel restrictions for all travellers coming from Indonesia or those with travel history to Indonesia within the last 14 days preceding ­arrival in The Philippines,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque said.

Singapore last week said it was cutting approvals for the entry of travellers from Indonesia who were not Singapore citizens or permanent residents. The new measure also bans transit for passengers with a travel history to Indonesia within the past three weeks.

Hong Kong barred the entry of passengers from Indonesia since last month after several passengers flying in from Jakarta tested positive upon arrival.

Hong Kong placed Indonesia in the Group A1 category, identifying it as “extremely high risk” along with Brazil, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and South Africa.

Some countries this week began evacuating their citizens from Indonesia as the country’s health system struggles under the pressure caused by the surge of infections, with isolation beds and ICUs running low across the densely populated Java Island.

A Saudi national was flown home after contracting Covid-19, local media Tribunnews reported. The 18-hour medical evacuation was carried out by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defence on direct orders from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

A charter flight carrying 52 Japanese employees and their families left Jakarta earlier this week, according to Japanese government and Shimizu Corp sources.

“Some Japanese citizens in Indonesia will temporarily ­return to Japan to participate in a vaccination program for Japanese citizens living abroad which will start from August 1,” the Japanese ambassador to Indonesia, Kanasugi Kenji, posted on social media.

He would return to Indonesia after receiving their shots.

News agency Focus Taiwan said that 90 Taiwanese working and living in Indonesia have hired a charter plane by Indonesia’s Batik Air to take them home on July 28, while the Indonesia Taiwan Chambers of Commerce suggested that its senior members across Indonesia return home.

Indonesia has “entered its worst-case scenario”, a senior ­official said on Thursday, after more than 54,000 new infections were registered the day before.

“We predicted that the numbers will continue to rise, but we hope it doesn’t exceed 60,000 (new cases a day), because then we will have to change our estimates,” said Co-ordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investments Luhut Pandjaitan.