Govt to Erase Travel Covid-19 Test Mandates; Aviation Observer Approves

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Aviation industry expert Gerry Soedjatman on Monday said the government’s plan to no longer mandate Covid-19 tests, such as antigen and PCR as a travel requirement, is believed to be the first step towards recovering the domestic commercial aviation industry. 

“What’s certain is that efforts can be made to reach a new point of capacity for air carriers due to the reduced number of fleets,” he said on March 7, Bisnis.com reported. 

He believes capacity growth will be committed in accordance with each company’s current financial abilities, as many air carriers have been hit hard by the two-year long pandemic.

The Coordinating Minister of Maritime Affairs and Investments Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan on Monday made the announcement that no longer required people to test negative for Covid-19 prior to traveling. He said that this applies to those who have received complete dose vaccinations. 

“Ahead of the transition towards normality, today, the government will impose the following policies; domestic travelers aboard air, sea, or land transportation who have received their first and second dose vaccination no longer have to test negative for PCR and antigen tests,” said the Minister in a press conference on Monday, March 7.

Pandjaitan said an official regulation will be issued soon by state ministries after the government deemed the current situation related to the pandemic continues to improve in terms of reduced hospitalizations and growing mobility.

However, the Indonesian Health Ministry in its Instagram post stated that people who have received complete vaccine doses are only required to take antigen tests while those who have only been vaccinated once against Covid-19 must test negative for PCR tests prior to traveling. 

Read: Govt Scraps Antigen, PCR Test Requirement for Domestic Travelers

BISNIS.COM