Lenny Tristia Tambun, Jakarta – Indonesia is returning to normal life with the government scrapping major community restrictions and Covid-19 mandates, a senior official said on Monday.

The bold move was based on improving Covid-19 data and the fact that the majority of eligible citizens have been fully vaccinated, Chief Investment Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said in a virtual news conference.

"In our transition towards normal activities, the government will issue a number of policies. Domestic travelers who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 will no longer be required to show negative antigen and PCR tests when taking land, sea, and air transportation," Luhut said.

President Joko Widodo has given his approval to the much-awaited decision during a cabinet meeting earlier in the day, he said.

The announcement came after the number of fully vaccinated citizens has surpassed 70 percent of the target population.

A government circular on the matter will be issued immediately, added Luhut, who is in charge of the Covid-19 responses across the country's most populated islands of Java and Bali.

International travelers arriving in the resort island of Bali don't need to self-isolate but they must produce negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests and show proof of full vaccination status.

The new policy applies in Bali immediately from Monday, he said. In addition, foreign visitors in Bali must book a four-day hotel stay in advance.

"International visitors must undergo entry PCR test and wait at their hotels until the result comes back negative," Luhut said.

In another move, people who have received the booster dose of the vaccine are allowed to attend sports events on-site, he said.

Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/indonesia-is-returning-to-normal-ministe