Indonesia to gradually reopen regions with high Covid-19 vaccination rates

JAKARTA - Indonesia will gradually reopen parts of the country where Covid-19 vaccination rates are above 70 per cent, President Joko Widodo told a Southeast Asian business forum on Monday (Oct 25).

Mr Widodo also said Southeast Asia should start loosening travel restrictions, including vaccinated lanes for inoculated arrivals with negative Covid-19 tests. He said it was important the region reforms to prepare for future health crises.

Earlier this month, Indonesia reopened its tourist island Bali for some international travellers, including those from China, New Zealand and Japan, among others.

Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport has been open to foreign tourists from Oct 14, with visitors required to quarantine for eight days at their own expense. But there has been a lack of international flights to the island so far.

Indonesia, Southeast Asia's biggest economy, exited its first recession in more than two decades in the second quarter this year, though a Covid-19 resurgence and ensuing social restrictions likely weighed on its recovery momentum.

The country's health ministry on Sunday reported 623 new Covid-19 cases, raising its tally of infections to 4,240,019.

Around 24 per cent of Indonesia's population is fully vaccinated.