Because all Hajj pilgrims have carried out basic vaccinations and most of them have received the booster dose, upon their arrival in Indonesia, of course, if they have no (COVID-19) symptoms, they can just passJakarta (ANTARA) - The COVID-19 Handling Task Force will not require Hajj returnees to undergo quarantine upon their arrival in the country if they are declared healthy based on a health screening at the airport.
"Because all Hajj pilgrims have carried out basic vaccinations and most of them have received the booster dose, upon their arrival in Indonesia, of course, if they have no (COVID-19) symptoms, they can just pass," head of the health support for emergency sub-section of the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, Alexander K. Ginting, said at an FMB9 dialogue, which was accessed via YouTube here on Monday.
The provision is different from the one implemented during the pilgrims' departure to Saudi Arabia, under which they were required to quarantine before leaving Indonesia for the pilgrimage.
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Even though the quarantine policy will not be implemented for returning Hajj pilgrims, who are scheduled to arrive from July 16 to 30, 2022, health teams at Hajj dormitories will conduct screenings to ensure the health of the pilgrims, he affirmed.
If the pilgrims test positive for COVID-19 and experience mild symptoms, they will be asked to self-isolate. However, if they experience moderate or severe COVID-19 symptoms due to comorbidities, they will be referred to hospitals.
According to Ginting, the health protocol implementation will need to be monitored well when the pilgrims are picked up from airports or Hajj dormitories to prevent virus transmission.
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This year, Saudi Arabia had allowed one million pilgrims to perform the Hajj pilgrimage. Indonesia was allotted a quota of 100,051 for the pilgrimage.
Although it permitted foreign pilgrims to perform Hajj this year, Saudi Arabia laid down two conditions for them. First, they could not be older than 65 years and needed to take the full dose of any COVID-19 vaccine approved by the Saudi Health Ministry.
Second, pilgrims traveling from abroad needed to carry a certificate showing a negative PCR result, with the test taken no more than 72 hours prior to departure.
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Translator: Andi Firdaus, Raka Adji
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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