Indonesia imposes ban on Aidilfitri 'mudik' to curb COVID-19

JAKARTA: The Indonesian government has announced a ban on ‘mudik’ or returning to hometown to celebrate the 1442H Aidilfitri, in an effort to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The ‘mudik’ ban will begin on May 6 to 17, 2021. The people are prohibited from travelling to other provinces or districts,” Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy said in a virtual news conference today.

He said the details on the restriction would be announced by the police and the Transport Ministry.

Indonesia had also imposed the “mudik” ban during the Aidilfitri celebration last year.

According to the data published on the Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management Twitter account @BNPB_Indonesia, over 1.48 million people have been infected with COVID-19 as of yesterday, of which 1.31 million have recovered, while the latest death toll due to the coronavirus is at 40,081.

-- BERNAMA