Eid al-Fitr: Return Traffic Forecasted to Peak on Saturday, Sunday

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Transportation Ministry forecasted the Eid al-Fitr return traffic this year would peak from D-day plus two to D-day plus three or from Saturday to Sunday, May 15-16, 2021. There is no sign of the return traffic today, May 13, 2021.

“There is no [return traffic] today [Eid day]. It will probably peak from Saturday to Monday,” Land Transportation Director General Budi Setiyadi told Tempo on Thursday, May 13, 2021.

Budi Setiyadi confirmed toll roads were still relatively empty on Thursday afternoon, saying the Jakarta-Cirebon route could be covered in only two hours and twenty minutes.

Reports said Eid homecoming travellers had returned to their hometowns before the government announced its mudik (Eid homecoming exodus) ban—effective from May 6-17, 2021. During the ban, the people allowed to travel are restricted to those with special purposes, such as essential business matters or condolence visits.

The ministry augured the number of people in the imminent return traffic would reach 3.6 million. Thus, Budi appealed to people to refrain from traveling during the period of the forecasted traffic peak.

Budi added a number of monitoring posts had also been set up to provide rapid antigen tests free of charge to supress the possible transmission of COVID-19 during the high mobility of people.

“This is to make sure that they have not contracted COVID-19 when they return,” he said.

Read: Eid al-Fitr: Airlangga Hartarto Asks People to Pray for Speedy Economic Recovery

FRANCISCA CHRISTY ROSANA