Indonesians dodge Jokowi’s travel ban, raising fears of coronavirus spike in provinces

Thousands of migrant workers are trying to go home for the Eid al-Fitr holiday, leading to fears the Covid-19 disease could spread from Jakarta to the provinces

Regional hospitals are not as equipped to handle an outbreak as those in the capital region, which is Indonesia’s virus epicentre

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Indonesian police and government officers question motorists at a police checkpoint on May 1. Photo: AP

Published: 8:30pm, 7 May 2020Updated: 5:36pm, 8 May 2020

New coronavirus cases are rising in Indonesia’s provinces despite the government’s efforts to contain the outbreak in Jakarta, as hundreds of thousands of migrant workers in the capital seek ways to bypass a travel ban to return to their hometowns to observe the Eid al-Fitr holiday.

Scientists are worried the mass wave of travellers could lead to the virus spreading from Jakarta and its satellite cities of 30 million, the epicentre of the pandemic, to the provinces where hospital facilities are not as equipped to handle an outbreak as those in the capital.

Ganjar Pranowo, the governor of Central Java, said more than “600,000 people” had arrived in the province of 35 million people since March.

“We are monitoring the mudik cases. We detected positive infections in Cilacap regency and travellers from East Java who could potentially spread the virus. We have quarantined them,” Ganjar said.

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Mudik refers to the annual exodus for Eid al-Fitr, the holiday marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, which normally sees hordes of people travelling to their hometowns and ancestral villages. About 19.5 million people went on mudik last year, according to the government.

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