Indonesia bans tourist arrivals at Jakarta airport over Covid-19 concerns

Dhaka: Indonesia has temporarily suspended foreign tourist arrivals into the country through Jakarta's airport, said the transport ministry, in an effort to prevent the spread of the omicron variant of coronavirus.

The Southeast Asian country has seen a rise in cases, with more than 36,000 infections recorded on February 6 and the bed occupancy rate at hospitals in the capital reaching 63 per cent.

The move to ban tourists flying to Jakarta comes only days after Bali welcomed the first international flight in nearly two years carrying foreign visitors.

The new regulations apply to foreign tourists and Indonesians who have travelled abroad for holidays, the ministry said in a statement released late on February 6.

The move to "temporarily restrict tourist arrivals" was aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus, said Novie Riyanto, Director General for Civil Aviation at the ministry.

Nevertheless, tourists flying from abroad will still be able to arrive at Bali airport, as well as at Batam and Tanjung Pinang in the Riau Islands near Singapore.

Moreover, police have also implemented a curfew in downtown Jakarta from midnight to 4 am as infections have kept rising.

Despite these concerns, the resort island of Bali welcomed a flight from Tokyo on February 3 carrying six foreigners, mostly travel agents who were on board to monitor the island's readiness to receive foreign tourists.