TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Military or TNI Air Force' Col. (PAS) M.A. Silaban, head of the Covid-19 Task Force for air transportation, said on Friday that Soekarno-Hatta Airport is enhancing control over international arrivals, especially passengers arriving from India.

"Strict procedures are imposed on passengers arriving internationally, including those boarding flights from India," Silaban said in a written statement, April 23.

Silaban said that not all foreign nationals can enter Indonesia, as the state's Covid-19 policy requires everyone to show proof that they tested negative for the virus. After they are allowed entry, the passengers must go into quarantine for five days.

"Stakeholders in the Soekarno-Hatta Airport are coordinating to ensure that these procedures are implemented strictly," he remarked.

Soekarno-Hatta's Port Health Office head, Dr. Darmawali Handoko, said the Health Ministry had instructed all port health authorities to raise monitoring on passengers arriving from India, as the nation has seen significant upticks in new cases. On Thursday, India's Ministry of Health reported more than 310,000 new cases of infections, a new global record.

Read: Indonesian Government Temporarily Bans Entry of Foreign Nationals from India Starting Sunday

JONIANSYAH HARDJONO