The suspension has not just been triggered by the enforcement of public activity restrictions, but also by requirements for passengers to show their polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test results
Jayapura, Papua (ANTARA) - Privately-owned Lion Air Group has said the Jakarta-Jayapura, Sentani-Dekai, and Sentani-Wamena flight routes remain served through Batik Air and Wings Air amid the enforcement of public activity restrictions.

The Jakarta-Jayapura flights are currently being operated by Batik Air alone, while Lion Air has suspended its services since July 6, 2021, head of Lion Air group - Jayapura office, Agung Setya Wibowo, told ANTARA here on Friday.

Wings Air is operating flights on the Sentani-Dekai and Sentani-Wamena routes, he said, adding that flight services to the Papuan cities of Timika, Merauke, and Nabire have been suspended since July 6, 2021.

The suspension of flight services to and from the three cities would be effective until July 20, 2021, Wibowo informed.

"The suspension has not just been triggered by the enforcement of public activity restrictions, but also by requirements for passengers to show their polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test results," he said.

"In fact, the PCR testing requirements for airline passengers could not yet be fulfilled by several cities in Papua, including Merauke," he added.

Speaking on the issue, spokesperson for Merauke district's COVID-19 task force, Neville Maskita, said PCR tests are only meant for those showing coronavirus symptoms and are not available for travelers.

The rapid tests are being conducted at the Merauke Public Hospital, and the samples tested per day are limited to 94, he informed.

The COVID-19 pandemic initially hit the Chinese city of Wuhan in 2019 and subsequently spread across the globe, including to nations in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Indonesian government announced the nation's first confirmed cases on March 2, 2020.

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Since then, the central and regional governments have striven incessantly to flatten the nation's coronavirus curve by applying healthcare protocols.

Emergency public activity restrictions have also been imposed on the islands of Java and Bali from July 3 - July 20, 2021 to address an alarming resurgence in COVID-19 cases.

As part of efforts to win the fight against COVID-19, the Indonesian government has been conducting a nationwide vaccination program to contain infections since January 13, 2021.

As of July 9, 2021, a total of 35,775,567 Indonesians have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, an increase of 914,881 compared to the previous day, according to the Health Ministry.

Meanwhile, the number of Indonesians who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 has reached 14,868,577, up 246,075 from the previous day, it added.

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Translator: Evarukdijati, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2021