The central government has planned to forbid backpackers from entering Bali when the borders reopen for international tourism in the near future.
The Indonesian central government through the Maritime and Investment Coordinator Minister, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan stated that Bali will not allow backpackers to visit the island once the international travel corridor reopens in the future. “We’ll aim for quality tourism in Bali, so we won’t allow backpackers to enter once the reopening plan for international travelers is officially put in place in the near future.” Luhut said when he visited Bali on Friday (10/9).
Luhut explained that the central government will potentially reopen the border for certain countries when Bali reaches a level 2 partial lockdown. “Our preparation stages to reopen the border will be implemented with some selected countries when the Covid-19 transmission is properly handled and when the partial lockdown in Bali reaches level 2.” Luhut added. As a prevention to avoid Covid-19 transmission from visitors, Bali will partially reopen tourism for certain countries that are considered safe from Covid-19 transmission.
He also said that each traveler will be required to scan the barcode with an app called PeduliLindungi before entering any tourist attractions or shopping malls. Despite the decrease of Covid-19 transmissions in Bali, Luhut still encourages the people to keep complying with prevention protocols. “We still need to be patient as well as be aware of this virus, even though the cases have significantly reduced.” Luhut concluded.
