To prevent a surge in COVID-19 cases during the holiday period, the government of Indonesia will suspend domestic flights and other modes of transportation for the annual homecoming exodus tradition popularly.
The annual homecoming exodus tradition that is known as mudik, usually sees around 30 million Indonesians visiting their hometowns annually before the pandemic.
Mudik coincides with the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which is expected to fall on May 13 and 14 for this year., with a collective leave day scheduled for May 12 in Indonesia.
The Transportation Agency spokeswoman Adita Irawati said during a press conference, “We are managing transportation mobility by prohibiting the use or operation of transportation facilities for all modes of transportation on land, sea, air, and trains, starting from May 6 to May 17.”
Some flights will still be allowed to operate during this time, though they must be granted permission by the Transportation Ministry.
During the Eid holiday last year, Indonesia recorded hundreds of daily new cases. The daily count shot beyond the four-digit mark a couple of weeks after Eid, which was partly attributed to mudik.
A survey conducted by the ministry in March found that nearly 28 million people still intend to go on mudik despite the ban.
