Jakarta – The government has declared May 2 and 3 national Idul Fitri holidays, alongside mandatory collective leave on April 29 and May 4 to 6, an arrangement that will see many offices closed for the whole first week of May.
President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo called on Indonesians to use the holiday to gather with family and friends while maintaining health protocol discipline.
"We must all keep cautious. Equip yourselves with booster vaccinations, keep implementing health protocols and keep your masks on in public areas or when in large groups of people," Jokowi said on Wednesday.
The government expects some 85 million people to travel to their hometowns in this year's Idul Fitri tradition of mudik (exodus). Some 14 million of the travelers will leave from Greater Jakarta, and almost half of the trips will be made in private vehicles.
It will be the first time in two years that Indonesians are allowed to perform mudik.
According to circulars by the COVID-19 task force and the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), homebound travelers who have received a booster shot are not required to present a negative COVID-19 test.
However, those who have received two vaccine doses will be required to present a negative rapid antigen test taken one day before their trip. Mudik travelers who have had only one vaccine dose will be required to show a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test taken a maximum of three days before their trip.
The task force requires travelers who cannot be inoculated for health reasons to present a doctor's letter issued by a state hospital in addition to a negative PCR test result. Children under 6 years old are exempt from the vaccination requirement but are required to be accompanied by a fully vaccinated adult.