The Indonesian government said Monday it will close its borders to all international visitors for two weeks starting New Year's Day, as the country tries to keep out a potentially more transmissible variant of the coronavirus.
Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi told a press conference that the new regulation would be effective Jan. 1 to 14 and applies to all foreign visitors except for high-level government officials.
Foreign visitors who arrive in Indonesia from Monday through Thursday are still allowed to enter the country but will be required to show proof of a negative PCR test, taken from the departure country and valid for 48 hours, Retno said.
"Upon their arrival in Indonesia, they must take another PCR test, and if the results are negative, they must self-isolate for five days," she said, adding another PCR test will be required after the self-isolation period and before they can continue their journey in the country.
As of Monday, Indonesia had recorded 719,219 cases of infection, with 21,452 deaths, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.
