Transportation Minister to Impose Transportation Control during Eid Holidays

By Office of Assistant to Deputy Cabinet Secretary for State Documents & Translation     Date 9 April 2021
Category: News
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Photo taken from dephub.go.id

Following the Government’s decision to ban mudik (annual exodus ahead of Eid al-Fitr) this year, Minister of Transportation has issued Regulation Number 13 of 2021 on Transportation Control during Eid al-Fitr 1442 in Hijri (Islamic calendar) to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19.

“Transportation control means prohibition of using or operating transportation modes for people’s mobility including land transport, sea transport, air transport, and rail transport, from 6 May to 17 May 2021. Nevertheless, transportation for goods and logistics will be running as usual,” Spokesperson of Ministry of Transportation Adita Irawati said in a statement on Thursday (8/4).

Based on a survey about people’s interest to travel during this year’s mudik, 11 percent of respondents or 27.6 million people said that they will participate in mudik despite the ban. For that reason, the Government deemed it necessary to issue a regulation on transportation control during Eid holidays in order to prevent a significant increase in COVID-19 cases in Indonesia since long weekends usually entail high mobility that potentially triggers the transmission, as happened on last year’s Eid holidays.

For land transport, public transport including buses and passenger cars, private vehicles, as well as river and lake ferry transportation are prohibited to operate.

There are also exceptions in that Ministerial Regulation. People who are allowed to travel, are among others; passengers who are on official trip proven by letter of assignment signed by their head of working units for example state civil apparatus, employees at state-owned enterprises (BUMN) and region-owned enterprises (BUMD), the Indonesian National Police (Polri) officers, the Indonesian National Defense Forces (TNI) personnel, and private sector workers, passengers who will visit ill family members or funeral of their family members, pregnant women and one guardian or two in case of labor, and sick patients who need emergency treatment.

Prohibition of private vehicles is not applied to vehicles of government high-ranking officials, official vehicles, operational vehicles of the TNI, Polri, toll road officers, fire department, ambulance, hearse, as well as vehicles that transport goods, pregnant women and guardian, Indonesian migrant workers, Indonesian citizens and students returning to the country, and Indonesian citizen repatriated to their regions of origin.

Police officers in collaboration with the TNI and Ministry of Transportation will supervise the implementation of the transportation control to public and private vehicles in 333 locations including entry and exit gates of toll and non-toll roads, terminals, as well as river and lake crossing points.

For sea transport control, the Ministry will open 51 monitoring posts at seaports from 15 days before and after Eid. Implementation in prohibition of using sea transport for people’s mobility is carried out by harbor master and the COVID-19 National Working Committee. Sanctions will be imposed to any violation based on provisions of laws and regulations.

The regulation is not applied to vessels that transport Indonesian migrant workers and Indonesian citizens for repatriation, in crew change, vessels that serve regular local transport within one district, sub-district, and province according to the prevailing conditions, vessels that transport TNI personnel, police officers, state civil apparatus, and medical staff for work purposes, vessels that provide service for pioneer, border, frontier, outermost, and underdeveloped regions, and vessels that transport logistics.

For air transport control, the restriction is applied to commercial and non-commercial aircrafts, except for aircraft carrying high-ranking officials and state guests, operational aircraft of embassies, consulate general, and representatives of international organizations; operational aircraft for repatriation purposes, law enforcement purposes, and emergency purposes; air cargo; and pioneer aircraft that have obtained permit from Ministry of Transportation’s Directorate General of Air Transport.

Operators of air transport that are exempted from the regulation may use existing flight routes or request for flight approval from Directorate General of Air Transport. Implementation in air transport control is carried out by Directorate General of Air Transport, airport authorities, regional governments, and the COVID-19 National Working Committee at check points and posts in airport terminals.

For rail transport control, there will be no intercity rail services during Eid holidays, while commuter line will reduce operating hours. The implementation will be carried out by the Ministry’s Directorate General of Railway, Railway Agency in Java and Sumatra Island, in collaboration with the COVID-19 National Working Committee, TNI/Polri, and regional governments. Railway operators violating the regulation are subject to sanctions in accordance with provisions of laws and regulations. (MINISTRY OF TRANSPORTATION/UN) (RAS/MUR)

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