More than 5,000 foreign nationals leave Bali amid coronavirus outbreak
More than 5,000 foreign tourists were still in Bali and left the island just this month as the global COVID-19 pandemic continues, according to the latest official data.
I Putu Surya Dharma, a spokesperson from the regional office for the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, told state news agency Antarathat 5,264 foreign nationals from 95 countries departed from the Ngurah Rai International Airport, citing data recorded between April 1 and 20.
South Korean nationals topped the list with 742 tourists, followed by Russian and Chinese nationals with 690 and 404, respectively.
“For the foreign nationals who departed they are tourists returning to their home countries, while [foreign] arrivals are mostly flight crews who did not leave the airport,” Dharma said.
Meanwhile, the other 29 foreign nationals who reportedly arrived through Ngurah Rai during this period were foreigners with long-term stay permits or diplomatic visas, in accordance with Indonesia’s current restriction suspending all foreign arrivals, which started on April 2.
Most international flights out of Ngurah Rai have either been canceled or temporarily suspended, as seen from the Ngurah Rai International Airport’s website today.
Hundreds of foreigners have left Bali since late March, mostly on chartered flights organized by their respective governments, following flight cancelations across the globe amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, some foreigners have reportedly made use of Indonesia’s updated visa policy, which gives eligible foreigners automatic extension for their stay permits if they are unable to return to their home countries due to COVID-19.
Related – Those Who Stay: For some tourists, Bali is a safe haven from the pandemic
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