Indonesia to suspend foreign arrivals as COVID-19 cases, deaths rise

01:24

Indonesia's foreign minister said on Tuesday the government would ban all arrivals and transit by foreigners in Indonesia as the number of the novel coronavirus cases and deaths rise.

This comes a day after Indonesian President Joko Widodo said that he planned on enacting stricter rules on mobility and social distancing after a report showed more than 140,000 people in the Southeast Asian country could die from the pandemic.

Foreigners with residence visas and some diplomatic visits will be exempted from the ban, foreign minister Retno Marsudi said, adding that the government aims to issue the regulations for the ban on Tuesday.

Foreign tourists check an information board as flights were cancelled due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali, Indonesia, March 29, 2020. /AP

The government will also strengthen screening for Indonesian nationals returning to the country, she said.

Medical experts have said the world's fourth-most-populous country must impose tighter movement restrictions as known cases of the highly infectious respiratory illness have gone from zero in early March to 1,414, with 122 deaths.

The country has previously prohibited the entry and transit of visitors from seven European countries plus Iran, China and South Korea and suspended its visa exemption policy for all countries for a month since March 20. Travelers not included in the ban had to obtain a health certificate from their home countries.

Source(s): Reuters