Indonesia capital gears up for post-holiday return amid pandemic

Indonesia’s capital Jakarta is anticipating one million vehicles will enter the city as people return from Eid al-Fitr holidays amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Traffic, including motorcycles, is projected to peak from Saturday to Monday, according to a Cabinet Secretariat statement. While the figure is lower compared to the 2.8 million vehicles recorded last year, the flow of so many travelers is raising concern as the nation’s coronavirus cases grow.

The government has called on citizens to delay their return to curb the spread of the pathogen, and is increasing monitoring and setting up patrols at many checkpoints, said Transport Ministry spokeswoman Adita Irawati in the statement. Similar measures are also implemented at seaports and airports over fears of a new wave of infections.

Indonesia now has the highest coronavirus death toll in Southeast Asia, with 1,573 people succumbing to the disease as of Saturday. New cases have more than doubled in May, with the total reaching 25,773.

Indonesia President Joko Widodo last month banned the annual ritual of citizens traveling in large numbers to their hometowns and villages ahead of the Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr, which took place May 24-25, but many people managed to travel via unguarded back roads. Monday is also a holiday in Indonesia, and many travelers delay their return until after Eid al-Fitr.

Roughly one out of every eight Indonesians head home ahead of the holidays. An estimated 19.5 million people traveled to their hometowns from big cities like Jakarta during last year’s Eid, official data show.