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THE INDONESIA’s Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy is reactivating risk mitigation measures in the tourism sector in response to the latest increase in COVID-19 cases in Indonesia.
“This does not cause people to be worried but stay vigilant to mitigate risks,” the ministry’s Deputy for Tourism Products and Activities Implementation Vinsensius Jemadu said here on Thursday (12/14), 2023.
He advised stakeholders in the tourism sector to optimize the implementation of the health protocols, including vaccinations, as well as encourage those who are sick to wear masks.
Coordination with relevant ministries and institutions, including the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes), is also continuing to be intensified under the risk mitigation effort.
The ministry has also appealed to tourism stakeholders to ensure that those who are sick wear masks, both indoors and outdoors.
Jemadu said he feels that COVID-19 is not a new concern, and therefore, it does not need to be responded to with panic by the public, including tourism players.
“It is not new because this is part of the Omicron (COVID-19 variant). Thus, some experts said they (current COVID cases) are not that serious, but we have to be careful,” he added.
He affirmed that the tourism sector has so far not been affected by the increase in COVID-19 cases. There have been no cancellations and no significant impact has been witnessed in tourist arrivals, he informed.
Earlier, the Ministry of Health reported that the number of active cases of COVID-19 in Indonesia reached 6,223 as of December 12, 2023, an increase of 0.1% over the previous week. The ministry also reported that the COVID-19 case trend in Indonesia has shown an uptick since October 8–14.
The Indonesian Government on December 30, 2022, announced an end to the public activity restrictions (PPKM) policy that was enforced to control coronavirus transmission in Indonesia. On June 21, 2023, the government officially revoked the pandemic status in the country. [antaranews/photo special]
