Gov’t Issues Circular of COVID-19 National Task Force on This Year’s Mudik Ban

The COVID-19 National Task Force has issued Circular Number 13 of 2021 regarding the Ban of the Eid Day Tradition of Mudik (exodus) in 1442 Islamic Calendar of Hijri (this year’s 2021) and Efforts to Control the Spread of COVID-19 during the Holy Month of Ramadan 1442 Islamic Calendar of Hijri (this year’s 2021).

This newly-issued circular is valid from 6-17 May 2021.

According to Head of the COVID-19 National Task Force, violations against this circular will be subject to fines, social sanctions, confinement and / or criminal in accordance with the law.

The issuance of this circular is based on the potential increase of the community mobility in Ramadan and Eid day this year that carries a risk to significantly increase transmission rate of COVID-19.

The four scopes stipulated in this circular are the observing of general health protocols, the controlling of religious activities during Ramadan and Eid Day, the banning of Mudik from 6-17 May 2021 all over Indonesia, and the optimization of the function of COVID-19 Handling Post at villages to prevent and control the spread of COVID-19.

There are some provisions based on this circular as follows:

1. Temporary mudik’s ban for people who use land, rail, sea, and air transportation across cities/regencies/provinces/countries becomes an effort to control community mobility during Ramadan and Eid Day.
2. The ban of the trip of people during Ramadan and Eid Day is excluded for logistics distribution service vehicles and travelers with urgent needs for non-mudik purposes, namely work/business trips, sick family visits, funeral visits of family members, pregnant women accompanied by one family member and childbirth purposes accompanied by a maximum of two people.
3. Travelers traveling across cities/regencies/provinces/countries during Ramadan and Eid Day as referred to Number 2 must have a printed written travel permit or Exit-Entry Permit (SIKM) as a term and condition to travel with these following requirements:

1. 1. Government employees/State Civil Apparatus (ASN), employees of State-Owned Enterprises/Regional-Owned Enterprises, the Indonesia National Defense Force soldiers, and the Indonesian National Police members must attach a printout written permit letter from official at Echelon II Level equipped with a wet signature/an electronic signature and the identity of travelers;
   2. Private employees must attach a printout written permission letter from head of the company equipped with a wet signature/an electronic signature of the head of the company and the identity of travelers;
   3. Informal sector workers must attach a printout written permission letter from head of the village equipped with a wet signature/an electronic signature of the head of the village and the identity of travelers;
   4. Non-workers must attach a printout written permission letter from head of the village equipped with a wet signature/an electronic signature of the head of the village and the identity of travelers.

4. Travel permit/SIKM as referred to number 3 has three applicable provisions, which are valid individually, valid for one round trip across cities/regencies/provinces/countries and is mandatory for 17 years old adult travelers and older.

5. Arrangements related to domestic and international travel amid the pandemic during Ramadan and Eid Day are still valid as stipulated in Circular of COVID-19 National Task Force Number 12 of 2021 on Domestic Travel Requirements during COVID-19 Pandemic and Circular of the COVID-19 National Task Force Number 8 of 2021 on International Travel Health Protocols during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

6. Checking of travel permit / SIKM documents and COVID-19 negative certificate with RT-PCR test / antigen rapid test / GeNose C19 test is conducted by TNI / Polri members and regional governments at arrival gates or control posts located in rest areas, big city borders, checkpoints and agglomeration.

7. The optimization of the implementation function of COVID-19 handling posts at villages Ramadan and Eid Day by all elements / members includes these following four functions:

First, the preventive function includes 1. Identification of potential crowd points; 2. Dissemination and supervision of the 3M (wearing masks, keeping distance and avoiding crowds, as well as washing hands with soap or using hand sanitizer) health protocols application, especially in tourism areas, places of worship, or other social-cultural activity gathering places; and 3. Dissemination of temporary ban of community mobility across cities / regencies / provinces / countries for mudik purposes; then 4. Restrictions on social activities at the household level that have potential to cause crowds, such as friends and family gatherings / social gatherings arisan / family parties, religious celebrations, regular meetings, and so on; last 5. Restriction of community mobility of migrants across cities / regencies / provinces / countries to their regions by checking their travel permit / SIKM documents and COVID-19 negative certificate.

Second, the handling function includes 1. Ensuring 3T healthcare (testing, tracing, treatment) for people who are positively infected by COVID-19 and people who are in close contact with COVID-19; 2. Travelers must carry out self-quarantine for 5 x 24 hours except travelers for working / business trip purposes, sick family visits, funeral visits of family members, pregnant women accompanied by two family members and childbirth purposes accompanied by a maximum of two people; and 3. Mandatory quarantine with independent expense for cross cities / regencies / provinces / countries travelers for 5 x 24 hours at the Government facilities or hotels with strict health protocol discipline; 4. Ensuring across cities / regencies / provinces / countries migrants to carry out quarantine in accordance with the regulation before they can continue their journey in the area; then 5. Supporting the process of providing / distributing social assistance and / or Muslim mandatory alms zakat to the beneficiary families in order to handle economic impacts amid the pandemic; last 6. Handling potential social problems such as rejection, conflict, and community stigma that may arise related to COVID-19.

Third, the repressive function includes the disciplinary enforcement and the crowd dissolution for people who violate the 3M health protocols and regulations during micro-scale public activity restrictions (PPKM Mikro) as well as strict sanctions imposition for people who violate it.

Fourth, the supporting function includes carrying out activities related to logistics documentation and reporting, communication support and administration support of COVID-19 Handling Post at villages.

8. COVID-19 Handling Post at Villages continue to operate and perform their functions during Ramadan and Eid Day.

9. The whole community is encouraged to eat pre-dawn meal and iftar with the family of one house, gather friendship virtually, and limit physical meetings with family members or other relatives who are not at the same house.

10. In the case of Indonesian citizens who want to return to Indonesia/repatriation, it is encouraged to postpone the return to the country during the period of temporary banning period from 6-17 May 2021.

11. Ministries / Agencies / Provincial Governments / Regional Governments that will implement special criteria and requirements during Ramadan and Eid Day in their regions can go hand-in-hand by issuing legal instruments that are not contrary to this circular.

12. The circular governing the specific criteria and requirements as referred to number 12 is an integral part of this circular.

Nonetheless, with these all 12 provisions, the socialization of this year’s mudik ban and efforts to control COVID-19 during Ramadan and Eid Day must be carried out by all elements of stakeholders, including religious leaders to their people, public figures to general public, village heads to the people of their regions, company leaders or employers in non-formal sector to their workers and media to general public. (PR of the COVID-19 National Task Force/UN) (AP/EP)