There are around 3 thousand people who arrive every day at the airport...Tangerang, Banten (ANTARA) - Hotel prices for isolating international travelers have been made transparent and systematic, while checks on travelers at Soekarno-Hatta Airport have been made faster, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin has informed.
"We are evaluating the long inspection queues. Now, the process has become faster after being improved," he said in a press statement at the airport located in Tangerang city, Banten province, on Friday.
He informed that earlier, the ministry had received inputs from the public regarding the long queues for the quarantine entry process. In addition, some hotels serving as quarantine places were quoting relatively high prices, he noted.
After a review by the Health Ministry, Transportation Ministry, National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), police, military, and other related stakeholders, some improvements have been made, the minister said.
"The hotel prices have been made transparent and systemized by the BNPB. Furthermore, the queues will become faster and less crowded," he added.
Related news: Hotels for quarantine and holidaying should be separate: Task force
Furthermore, he urged international travelers to comply with the regulation that requires them to quarantine for 10 days. Those traveling from countries with high COVID-19 transmission rates need to isolate for 14 days, he added.
Moreover, the number of Omicron variant cases is increasing rapidly, such as in the United Kingdom, he noted. Hence, attempts are continuously being made to prevent any imported COVID-19 cases, he said.
"There are around 3 thousand people who arrive every day at the airport, and we must examine them carefully to curb the transmission of the virus. Thus, we must conduct disciplined health protocols," Sadikin added.
The Health Ministry confirmed that eight Omicron cases have been found in Indonesia as of December 23, 2021. International travelers accounted for most of the infections and have been isolated at the Wisma Atlet COVID-19 Emergency Hospital (RSDC), Jakarta, it informed.
Related news: Flight arrival times causal to spiraling traveler queues: Task Force
Translator: Achmad Irfan, Uyu Liman
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
