Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Pandjaitan along with several ministers including Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno discussed options to reopen Bali for foreign tourists.

The minister brought up the plan considering the decreasing number of Covid-19 cases on Pulau Dewata or the Island of the Gods.

“The decline occurs due to the implementation of careful policy approaches while taking into account two crucial factors, namely reactivating economic activity and enforcing the health protocols throughout Bali, including at the village level,” he said in a written statement on Thursday evening, February 25.

According to Luhut, once the conditions improve, the government will likely allow the arrival of international tourists. However, it must be under specific rules and procedures during the ongoing pandemic.

Minister Luhut explained that the government has drafted the penalty for health protocol, which regulates the monitoring of health protocol practices, violations, and warnings to violators, especially for foreign tourists. The government will impose administrative penalties up to deportation for those violating the health regulations.

The plan to open Bali is in line with the ongoing vaccination process. Luhut said that more than 13,000 health workers in the region will immediately receive vaccines in order to boost tourist confidence.

Source: tempo.co