One of the world’s favourite tropical holiday destinations Bali, has further relaxed it’s quarantine requirements for international travellers.
From today, travellers will no longer be required to pre-book four nights accommodation in a CHSE-certified hotel, (Indonesia’s Cleanliness, Health, Safety and Environment protocol) but will be free to choose their own accommodation. They will also not be required to undergo a PCR test on day 3 of their stay, needing only to self isolate for a few hours in their hotel until the result of their PCR test-on-arrival comes back negative.
There are still however, a number of standard requirements to fulfil prior to planning your next trip to Bali.
All travellers need to be be fully vaccinated and have will need to show proof of a negative PCR test result taken within 48 hours of departure.
It will also be necessary to have a travel insurance policy that covers COVID medical expenses, with a minimum coverage of $25,000 USD. (This can generally be purchased through the accommodation provider.)
While the CHSE-certified accommodation is no longer required, new arrivals may be asked to show proof of having booked their first night’s accommodation.
It will also be necessary to download the PeduliLindungi app and complete the health declaration (e-HAC) prior to arrival.
Proof of vaccination can be verified through the Non-Indonesia Vaccination Verification website, which can then be uploaded to the app.
The Visa-On-Arrival program has also recently been reinstated and although many countries previously enjoyed free Visa-On-Arrival status, the current paid visa, which costs 500,000 rupiah ($US35), is valid for 30 days and can be extended for another 30 days.
Tourism Minister Sandiago Uno has today confirmed that Bali is now accepting arrivals from 42 international destinations.
“We are now preparing to transition to a new post-pandemic economic order, and we will carry out this normalization in the next few months,” Uno said. “If everything goes smoothly after Eid, then this process will continue so that we can expand our economic activities.”
The Eid festival is an annual event that signals the end of the Ramadan fasting period and is normally a time when Indonesians travel around the country to be with family and friends. In the past two years this mass movement of people also led to a massive spike in Covid cases, most notably the deadly Delta strain, which reached a peak of 56,967 daily cases in July last year and saw deaths surpass 100,000 in early August.
However the government is confident the country is set to rebound strongly after the recent Omicron outbreak with vaccination rates of over 90% in major cities and tourist areas such as Bali. Infection rates across the country have also dropped over 90% on numbers being reported during the Omicron peak in mid-February.
Approximately 1,000 people a day are presently arriving in Indonesia with around 200 Australians a day returning to the island of Bali after a two-year, pandemic-induced hiatus.
Source – 7News Australia, Tempo.Co, Bloomberg.