International tourists who dare to violate Bali’s 5-day mandatory quarantine will face immediate deportation said the head of Depensar’s COVID-19 Task Force, I Made Rentin.
“Any offenders of our quarantine policy will be immediately deported back to their home country,” warned Rentin on Monday.
To do so, the military and police will coordinate with the hotels’ chief security to make sure quarantined travelers will be watched 24 hours a day.
Only two weeks ago, its governor announced authorities had no intentions to reduce or revoke the quarantine policy for foreign tourists.
Bali does not play games. This isn’t the first time the island has threatened visitors with deportation if they don’t follow the rules.
Fed-up with tourists who think Bali is their personal playground, authorities started to enforce deportations of everyone caught violating the mask mandate on the island, a few months ago.
In July, three tourists from the United States, Russia, and Ireland were sent back home after being nabbed for not wearing masks in public.
“They broke minimum virus rules requiring face masks during the emergency restriction period,” said Jamaruli Manihuruk, head of Bali’s legal and justice office, which oversees immigration enforcement.
Now that the island expects to be welcoming back loads of tourists by mid-November, it won’t stand any more audacities.
“Although it’s not a form of a violation of our immigration policy, visitors who refuse to undergo our mandatory quarantine will not be able to continue their trip to Bali and will be deported back to their home countries,” also confirmed Bali’s head of Law and Human Rights.
When it comes to deportations, Indonesian law may feel like a minefield through which you must navigate with your eyes closed.
Whole truth, Balinese people are among the kindest and most tolerant people in the world. But every country has its traditions and they must be respected.
Things such as insulting authorities on social media platforms, working on a tourist visa, not converting VITAS (Visa Tinggal Terbatas) to ITAS (Izin Tinggal Terbatas) within 7 days of the arrival or stealing, can easily get you a “walk of shame” or a one-way ticket back home.