Update: For ‘mudik’ ban, authorities to turn back vehicles leaving COVID-19 red zones: official
Health experts have for weeks warned that the annual homecoming exodus, which regularly sees up to 30 million Indonesians returning to their hometowns for the Eid holiday, is going to spread COVID-19 from urban centers to rural areas on a massive scale, further crippling Indonesia amid the pandemic.Despite refusing to outright ban the tradition, Jokowi finally had a change of heart and announced the mudik prohibition during a video conference cabinet meeting this morning.
“All mudik will be prohibited,” Jokowi said, instructing officials to prepare plans for the enforcement of the ban.
The president said that he came to the decision as current social restriction measures have failed to discourage people to go on mudik.
Before the ban, there have been widespread reports of people leaving big cities so they can be back in their hometowns in time for Eid while they still can.
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We’ll update this developing story as more information becomes available.
