Thresa Sandra Desfika & Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – A number of airlines have removed the antigen or polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, test requirement for fully-vaccinated domestic flight passengers, following the government's recent decision to ease domestic air travel rules.
Flag carrier Garuda Indonesia and its low-cost subsidiary Citilink have announced that they had dropped the antigen or PCR requirement for the fully-vaccinated domestic travelers. The same goes for AirAsia and Lion Air Group.
"Hopefully, this new policy can provide ease and comfort for people's mobility, especially those who are about to travel by air," Citilink president director Dewa Kadek Rai said in a statement on Wednesday.
He also reminded that domestic travelers still need to fill in the electronic Health Alert Card (e-HAC) form via the Covid-19 tracing app PeduliLindungi, before checking in at the departure airport or a day prior to the flight at the earliest.
On Tuesday, the Transportation Ministry issued a new circular on domestic air transportation.
The circular stated that domestic flyers who had gotten their second or third Covid-19 vaccine dose would not be required to show negative RT-PCR or rapid antigen test results. The Transportation Ministry's new circular on domestic air transport came into effect on Tuesday.
According to the circular, passengers who have only gotten the first vaccine dose must show a negative RT-PCR test result of which samples are taken three days before the departure, or a negative rapid antigen test result obtained within 24 hours.
Those who are unable to get vaccinated due to comorbidities or special conditions are required to show negative RT-PCR test results taken no more than three days prior to the day they travel, or a negative rapid antigen test administered within 24 hours.
They, however, must also attach a doctor's statement from a government hospital regarding their inability to get vaccinated.
Passengers under the age of 6 can travel with an accompanying adult under strict health protocols.
From Tuesday evening, Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, no longer asked for proof of antigen/PCR negative tests from passengers who showed their full vaccination status on their app.
"Every passenger must activate their PeduliLindungi app and show it during check-in procedure at the airline's counter," said Muhammad Awaluddin, the president director of airport operator Angkasa Pura II.
Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/lifestyle/airlines-drop-covid-test-requirement-for-vaccinated-passenger