In February of this year, Bali reopened its borders to international visitors, but only under strict quarantine conditions.
The Indonesian government, however, is considering eliminating quarantine restrictions and introducing a visa-on-arrival process for international visitors. According to a senior minister, the government intends to conduct a trial on incoming travellers who will not be quarantined but would be subjected to a few travel restrictions.
The campaign for the removal of the mandatory 3-day quarantine and the reinstatement of visa-on-arrival (VoA) is also supported by the country’s top officials. Due to the long and costly quarantine in force in Bali, a number of European travellers are currently avoiding the island.
Luhut Binsar Panjaitan, the Coordinating Minister for Maritime and Investment Affairs, indicated in a press conference that the trial might start before March 14 if there are any positive developments in the next week.
International travellers must meet the following requirements in order to enter Bali:
- Foreign travellers must present proof of hotel booking payments for at least four days.
- Visitors to Bali must be fully vaccinated or have taken booster vaccinations.
- On arrival, RT PCR testing will be performed at the airport, and travellers will be required to wait for their negative results at the hotel.
- Travelers will be required to take another RT PCR test at their hotels on the third day of their arrival.
If the test is negative, the minister added, travellers will be allowed to engage in other activities as long as they follow health protocols. Bali was chosen for this pilot project trial, he added, since the rate of two-dose vaccination is higher here than in any other province in Indonesia.
The Indonesian government will expand the quarantine-free travel policy across the country on or before April 1 if the trial is successful.
– India’s new age travel digital media
