Indonesia keeps borders closed to foreign tourists

Indonesia will continue not to open its doors to foreign tourists until a new coronavirus vaccine is found, and immunity can be provided, Report says, citing Kyodo.

"The reopening of tourist destinations to foreign tourists is something positive, but we need to do it at the right time," Erick Thohir, chief of Indonesia's national economic and COVID-19 recovery team, told a virtual public discussion.

Indonesia has been conducting the final phase 3 clinical testing for a COVID-19 vaccine candidate in the West Java provincial capital of Bandung.

The clinical trial is taking place with the cooperation of Chinese-based drug maker Sinovac Biotech Ltd., a team of Indonesian scientists and researchers, and Indonesian state-owned drug maker PT Bio Farma.

Once clinical testing for about six and a half months is completed, vaccine production will immediately start and pave the way of offering immunity to the general public.

According to Thohir,  the government did not want its efforts to mitigate the novel coronavirus pandemic undermined by the reopening of its borders to tourists to avoid creating new clusters.

Acknowledging that immunity may only start next year, Thohir said reopening the country's borders to foreign travelers must go hand in hand with producing resistance so as not to start again from scratch.

"Therefore, for the time being, we are still reviewing the plan to reopen (Indonesia) for foreign tourists," he said.