TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Bali Governor Wayan Koster suggested the government speed up the trial program of quarantine-free entry for foreign tourists to March 7 from the plan on March 14.

“And the Visa on Arrival (VoA) policy to ease [tourists] to obtain visas and prevent the high cost of visa application,” said Koster during the virtual meeting on the quarantine-free entry trial led by the Deputy for Investment and Mining at the Coordinating Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Investment on Tuesday, March 1.

Koster explained that he voiced the two suggestions for the sake of accelerating the recovery of Bali tourism, which has been hit hard for the past two years. Since February 4, 2022, Bali has begun to receive foreign tourist visits.

In addition, Koster asked the government to drop the mandatory COVID-19 entry test for airline crew as they already have a negative PCR test result from the country of departure. He also suggested Port of Benoa in Denpasar City be opened for cruise ships and yachts.

Meanwhile, Koster said the Bali government is committed to accelerating booster vaccination to a minimum of 30 percent of the target, strengthening coordination in the implementation of SOP for tourist arrival starting from the airport to hotels, increasing PCR test capacity, strictly implementing CHSE for hotels and tourist destinations, as well as encouraging the use of the PeduliLindungi COVID-19 app.

Read: Bali to Implement Quarantine-Free Trial in Mid-March

ANTARA