The Indonesian government has restored flight occupancy rate to full capacity until at least Jan. 25, despite soaring COVID-19 cases and amid new restrictions throughout Java and Bali.
The decision was laid out in a circular issued by the Transportation Ministry on domestic passengers using air transportation during the COVID-19 pandemic, which rescinded a rule limiting occupancy at 70 percent as laid out in a preceding circular.
Novie Riyanto, who heads the ministry’s Directorate General of Air Transport, said that all passengers are required to present negative results from either an antigen rapid test or a PCR swab test.
Passengers of routes serving frontier, remote, and underdeveloped areas as well as children under 12 years old are not required to present their antigen rapid test and PCR test results. The government also ordered airlines to provide three rows of seats as the dedicated area for passengers who show symptoms of COVID-19.
All passengers will be subject to standard health protocols such as wearing face masks, maintaining physical distance, and washing hands using soap. Passengers are prohibited from speaking during the flight, nor are they permitted to eat or drink during flights that are shorter than two hours long. People on medication are exempted from the latter rule.
Passengers also required to fill in the e-HAC (Health Alert Card), which must be shown to authorities at the destination airport.
As of Jan. 11, Indonesia has reported 836,718 COVID-19 cases, 123,636 of which were active cases. The country’s death rate from the disease currently stands at 24,343, while 688,739 have recovered.
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