But non-reactive rapid test results will be required, especially for travelers coming from “red zones.”
Gedhong Gapura Hageng, a gateway at Taman Sari Water Castle. (Photo: James Louie)
Despite rising numbers of coronavirus cases elsewhere in the country, one of Indonesia’s most popular tourist destinations is preparing to accept visitors in just a few weeks’ time. Kompas reports that a handful of attractions in Yogyakarta now welcome local residents as staff members test out new health and safety protocols. These draws include the Kraton, or royal palace; Malioboro Street; the Sonobudoyo Museum; and the historic pleasure garden of Taman Sari. For the moment, municipal authorities are urging travelers from other regions of the country to postpone their trips to August.
“Please be patient if you want to visit Yogyakarta because we are currently in a limited trial phase,” said the city’s deputy mayor Heroe Poerwadi. “It is very important to have a precautionary principle so that no coronavirus transmission occurs. Eventually, Yogyakarta will be open to everyone,” he added.
Heroe said domestic visitors from outside the province, including those on business trips and traveling in family groups, would be required to bring a health certificate showing a non-reactive result through a Covid-19 rapid test. This rule will be strictly enforced for people entering from high-risk areas known as “red zones.” According to a recent list published on detik.com, 31 cities and regencies across Indonesia are currently classified as red zones, including four of Jakarta’s five municipalities (South Jakarta is the outlier), Surabaya, Semarang, and Medan. Foreign travelers, meanwhile, must present negative results from a PCR test.
Domestic tourists without a health certificate showing a non-reactive rapid test result—and travelers who appear to have a sickness—will not be allowed to disembark from their vehicles. Heroe added that officers would carry out checks in a special parking lot set aside for visitors from out of town. Masks have been made compulsory in Yogyakarta; anyone not wearing one in a public place will be fined Rp 100,000 or asked to perform community service.
Though Java as a whole has accounted for nearly 60 percent of Indonesia’s official tally of Covid-19 infections (81,668), the Yogyakarta Special Region has logged just 404 confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic. Of that number, only 80 remain active.
