Indonesia: Thousands turned back to stop Idul Fitri exodus as country reports 4,891 new Covid-19 cases, 206 new deaths

Passengers of a ship from Dumai, Riau line up to get their travel documents checked at the arrival terminal of Sekupang Port, Batam, Riau Islands on April 21. A 'mudik' (exodus) ban on this year's Idul Fitri holiday forces some people to go on early homecoming trip for the Islamic holiday, slated for May 12 or 13. - Jakarta Post/ANN

JAKARTA, May 10 (Jakarta Post/ANN): Despite the government’s attempts to stop people from visiting their hometowns for Idul Fitri, resulting in tens of thousands of vehicles forced to make a U-turn at toll gates, some travelers have managed to find a way around the mudik (exodus) ban.

National Police Traffic Corps (Korlantas) chief Insp-Gen Istiono announced that that three days into the mudik ban, the police had stopped around 70,000 vehicles and instructed drivers to go back to where they came from after they failed to produce the necessary permits and travel requirements.