JAKARTA: Indonesia has scrapped indoor mask mandates and removed the requirement to show proof of vaccination when entering buildings, becoming one of the last countries to completely end Covid-19 restrictions.
The changes took effect from Friday as almost all of the country’s population had immunity against the virus, said President Joko Widodo, who is popularly known as Jokowi.
“We once failed in containing Covid, but now we are among the few countries that did not experience a pandemic wave in past 10 to 11 consecutive months,” he told a briefing in Jakarta. “What does this mean? It means this removal is not arbitrary, it is based on science.”
Jokowi reiterated that Indonesia would not impose new travel curbs, in response to a question about rising cases in China as the latter prepares to reopen its borders. Nevertheless, Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian said the government may reimpose curbs if domestic cases surged again.
Once a global epicentre of Covid-19, Indonesia ending virus curbs completely will spur business activities and help sustain recovery in Southeast Asia’s biggest economy. The country began easing restrictions earlier in the year, removing quarantine requirements for foreign travelers in March as well as the need to wear masks outdoors.
Elsewhere in Asia, many are now embracing normalcy. Countries from Japan to Thailand have eliminated mask mandates, although the majority of the population still wear them, and fully opened their borders to tourists.
Hong Kong has eased its last remaining pandemic curbs, while China is gradually unwinding its Covid-zero policy and preparing to reopen its borders from Jan 8.