Still, considering the increasing trend of national COVID-19 cases, any Christmas and New Year celebration events need to be managed properly.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi confirmed here on Tuesday that the government will not limit the people's mobility during the 2022 Christmas and 2023 New Year holidays.

"Still, considering the increasing trend of national COVID-19 cases, any Christmas and New Year celebration events need to be managed properly," the minister stated at a meeting with Commission V of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI).

Sumadi remarked that in addition to the increasing transmission of COVID-19, the government focused on optimally managing the transportation modes since the 2022 Christmas and 2023 New Year celebrations coincided with the school holidays, so there would be a surge in mobility.

Hence, the operation of transportation modes during the year-end holidays must focus on the people’s health, safety, security, and comfort, the minister emphasized.

Thus, his side will ensure the preparedness of transportation facilities and infrastructure, conduct ramp checks on the feasibility of transportation facilities and infrastructure, as well as implement strict health protocols by increasing the use of the PeduliLindungi app in all transportation modes.

In addition, the Transportation Ministry will apply various traffic engineering approaches -- such as contra flow, one-way, and freight transport restrictions -- on toll roads and non-toll roads as well as conduct massive dissemination of information on traffic engineering to the public.

"To ensure that transportation modes run smoothly and safely during the 2022 Christmas and 2023 New Year, the Transportation Ministry always refers to (the regulations contained in) the circulars of the COVID-19 Handling Task Force and the Home Affairs Ministry," Sumadi stated.

The minister noted that his side would coordinate with the Task Force and Home Affairs Ministry to encourage all local governments to follow the regulations.

According to a survey conducted by the Transportation Ministry’s Transportation Policy Agency (BKT), the people’s mobility potential during the holidays reaches 16.35 percent of Indonesia's total population, or as many as 44.17 million people, he noted.

The mobility will be dominated by private vehicles, at around 28.26 percent, and motorbikes, about 16.47 percent. Meanwhile, modes of land transportation will be used for around 67.97 percent of the mobility.

The minister said that the Christmas 2022 and New Year 2023 transportation monitoring posts would operate from December 19, 2022, until January 3, 2023, while the posts for sea transportation would be opened until January 8, 2023.

"We and all stakeholders will coordinate and synergize well in managing (the transportation modes during) the Christmas 2022 and New Year 2023 celebrations," he added.

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Translator: Adimas Fahky, Uyu Liman
Editor: Sri Haryati
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