JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia will temporarily ban domestic and international air and sea travel, with a few exceptions, from this week to prevent further spread of the coronavirus, the transport ministry said in a statement on Friday.
The announcement came as the holy month of Ramadan began in the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, and the government has already banned the traditional annual exodus of citizens from cities to provinces during the holiday season.
The sea travel ban went into effect immediately, but the air travel ban will begin on Saturday so some pre-booked flights can continue.
The ban will apply broadly until May 31. The ministry had previously given different dates for the end of the ban for different modes of transport.
The transport of goods is exempt. Other exceptions would include flights to repatriate Indonesian and foreign citizens, as well as travel by state officials, diplomatic staff and representatives of international organizations, officials said.
The country’s largest airlines include state-owned Garuda Indonesia and low-cost airline Lion Air.
The government has banned the traditional annual exodus from Indonesia for Muslim holidays.
Reporting by Maikel Jefriando; Writing by Fransiska Nangoy, Ed Davies and Gayatri Suroyo; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Simon Cameron-Moore
