Indonesia mulls lengthening mandatory quarantine to 14 days

Indonesia is considering lengthening mandatory quarantine for foreign arrivals from 10 days to 14, a minister said, as concerns over the Omicron variant rises in the country.

In a press conference today, Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said Indonesia may update its quarantine requirement in the new year.

“We will look at developments in the week ahead. [If Omicron] cases rise, then on Jan. 1, 2022, we will lengthen the mandatory quarantine period to 14 days,” Budi said.

Indonesia last week confirmed its first Omicron case, involving a janitor at the Wisma Atlet quarantine facility in Central Jakarta who is believed to have been infected by an Indonesian traveler who had recently returned from Nigeria. The janitor has since tested negative.

The government then confirmed two additional Omicron cases — an Indonesian citizen returning from South America and another returning from the UK. Both were asymptomatic and quarantined at Wisma Atlet.

In response to the global Omicron scare, Indonesia first extended mandatory quarantine for international arrivals to 7 days from 3 days previously. The government then lengthened the mandatory quarantine period to 10 days.

Indonesia also banned arrivals from 11 countries and territories — mostly in Africa and not the Western world, where Omicron has also widely spread. Indonesians with travel history to the banned regions are required to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in Indonesia.