Transportation Minister Urges Passengers Passing Through Bakauheni Port to Take COVID-19 Antigen Test

INDUSTRY.co.id - In a bid to anticipate reverse flow traffic after Eid al-Fitr, passengers passing through Bakauheni Ferry Port are required to take a mandatory rapid antigen test prior to their departure as well as to carry out the rapid test individually in their areas of origin to avoid crowds at the port.

Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi made the statement after attending a Coordination Meeting at Bakauheni Port, Lampung, Sunday (16/5).

“According to the results of the coordination meeting, we urge travelers to take rapid antigen test in their areas of origin. Travelers must also present a negative antigen test result prior to their departure,” he said.

Based on data from the National COVID-19 Task Force, there has been a significant increase in daily cases in almost all provinces in Sumatra Island over the past month. To that end, travelers’ mobility from Sumatra Island to Java Island through Bakauheni Port must be controlled.

“We noticed that approximately 400 thousand people have traveled from Java to Sumatra. In the next few days, there will be a reverse flow from Sumatra to Java, so we are carrying out an intense coordination to control the mobility,” he said.

 Previously, Ministry of Transportation together with the National COVID-19 Task Force, the National Police, and other relevant elements have coordinated to take anticipatory measures towards the increased people’s mobility after Eid holiday that potentially triggers the COVID-19 transmission.

A number of regional heads in Sumatra and Java, including Lampung, West Java, Banten, Central Java, Special Region of Yogyakarta, and East Java are also involved to thoroughly and carefully check health documents of each traveler during the reverse flow, particularly, at checkpoints between provinces.