Indonesia to drop outdoor mask mandate as COVID infections drop
Tokyo, May 19, AZERTAC
Indonesia will drop requirements for people to mask up outdoors and for vaccinated travellers to show negative pre-departure tests, officials said on Tuesday, as COVID-19 infections decline in the Southeast Asian country, according to Jakarta Post.
Masks are no longer required outdoors as "the pandemic is getting more and more controlled", President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said in a statement streamed online. But masks must still be worn indoors and on public transportation, he said, also recommending that the elderly and those with underlying health conditions or coughs continue to use them as well. The new mask rules are set to take effect on Wednesday.
Indonesia's daily COVID cases have declined since the last peak in February, although the government has said it is monitoring the possibility of an uptick after the annual mass exodus during the Eid-al-Fitr holiday earlier this month.
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