Some residents, including mudik travellers, receiving booster vaccination shots ahead of Hari Raya Aidilfitri at Wonosari II community health centre in Gunung Kidul Regency, Yogyakarta. - The Straits Times/ANN
Mudik 2022 in Indonesia - People on the move: 85.5 million; Air travellers: up to 3.42 million; Cars on the road: 23 million; Motorcycles on the road: 17 million
JAKARTA, May 1 (The Straits Times/ANN): Three years of waiting for a family reunion during Hari Raya Aidilfitri have finally come to an end for Indonesian housewife Alnuria Titania and her husband Dony Setyo Prasojo, 32, who works in a textile company.
On Tuesday (April 26), with two young children in tow and packed gifts of chocolate and peanut cookies, they boarded a train from Jakarta's Pasar Senen railway station heading for Bojonegoro, in East Java province, for an eight-day holiday with "a hundred" family members and friends.
"I am so excited because the Covid-19 pandemic has kept us away from one another for so long. The entire family is waiting for us to get home. We chatted on video call about being able to cook together again," a beaming Ms Alnuria, 29, told The Sunday Times from the packed train station.
The couple were among millions of people making the trip to their village home towns for the Muslim holiday - which falls on May 3 this year - in a tradition known as "mudik" in the country.
Mudik had been banned in the Muslim-majority country of 270 million since 2020 at the start of the pandemic.
But about 18 million people flouted the rules last year and still travelled to their village home towns, triggering a new wave of Covid-19 infections. The number of cases reached more than 56,700 a day and deaths exceeded 1,000 a day, bringing the country's healthcare system to its knees.
As at Saturday (April 30), the total number of confirmed cases in Indonesia has surpassed six million, including more than 150,000 deaths. But daily infections have dropped drastically to around 500 and daily deaths to about 30.
With community transmission at bay, President Joko Widodo announced in March that the government would ease restrictions and allow not only mudik but also congregational terawih prayers during the fasting month of Ramadan this year.
But he also advised caution.
"We must remain vigilant so the mudik does not trigger the emergence of a new wave of Covid-19 transmission, considering the homecoming traffic is expected to be very large this year. We all want a smooth and joyous mudik," he wrote on Facebook.
An officer verifying data of residents who apply for a free homebound travel programme by the Jakarta government. - The Straits times/ANN
Booster boom, business blooms
The government estimates that some 85.5 million people will be on the move for Hari Raya this year, including around 14 million from the capital, Jakarta, and its surrounding cities. The figure is nearly three times the usual 30 million before the pandemic.
Up to 3.42 million passengers are expected to pass through 20 airports in the country from April 22 to May 13, and around 23 million cars and 17 million motorcycles will be out on the roads, according to official figures.
National Covid-19 task force spokesman Wiku Adisasmito, however, believes the exodus will not lead to a Covid-19 surge on the scale of the previous two years.
"As long as there is no new (Covid-19) variant, we will be safe," he told journalists in April.
Travellers who have not had their third booster shot will have to adhere to health security measures.
Those with two doses must present a negative result from a rapid antigen test taken within 24 hours before departure, and single-dose travellers are required to show a negative result from a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test taken at most three days before departure.
Anyone who cannot be inoculated for health reasons must obtain a letter from a doctor at a state hospital, as well as show a negative PCR test result.
The lure of fuss-free travel has inadvertently driven up the demand for booster shots in the sprawling archipelago.
Health Ministry vaccination spokesman Siti Nadia Tarmizi said that the number of booster shots had risen from around 300,000 a day in the middle of March to 600,000 to 700,000 a day now.
As many as 36.2 million people, or 17.4 per cent, of the targeted population of 208.3 million, have received their booster jabs as at April 27, according to the ministry.
Mr Suparyanto, head of administration at a community health centre in Gunung Kidul regency, in Yogyakarta, said people were also getting booster shots to protect themselves and their families.
"There will be a lot of socialising during Aidilfitri. The major Covid-19 outbreak two years ago has taught people, even those in remote villages, of the importance of getting vaccinated to protect their loved ones. We don't wish for another outbreak to happen," he said.
Businesses have also reported brisk sales.
Ms Wulan, 28, a textile trader at the Tanah Abang wholesale market, said sales began to pick up two months ago as people started preparing for Hari Raya.
She said she has been selling thousands of pieces of clothing a day, double the usual number during the pandemic.
"Things are returning to normal. Customers were just staying at home and could not celebrate Hari Raya in the last two years due to Covid-19.
"I hope sales will continue to be stable like this in the future as the economy recovers," she added.
A visit by The Sunday Times to train and bus stations as well as temporary rest areas set up by the police saw food and drinks distributed for free to travellers for their iftar, the meal to break fast at sunset.
Sales promoters were out in full force, distributing new products such as shampoo and face wash.
Salesgirl Arbani, 32, said: "We pack sachets of different items into travel size packets for the mudik travellers to try out at home. "
An officer verifying data of residents who apply for a free homebound travel programme by the Jakarta government. - The Straits Times/ANN
Cheers and tears
For many, the green light on travel was long awaited and, in the spirit of the occasion, the government, private companies and even the police have dished out free mudik trips.
The Jakarta administration has distributed 11,000 bus tickets to various locations on Java and Sumatra islands, while the Transportation Ministry put 21,000 free trips to Java destinations up for grabs.
Although the government's mudik ban was for two years, some travellers have had to wait longer for a family reunion.
Ms Alin Krista Anggraini, 19, a secretary in a food company, said she and her family would finally be returning to her home town in Purworejo, in Central Java, after the last four muted celebrations in Jakarta.
They managed to secure free bus tickets to Yogyakarta and will switch to local transport to return to their village.
"Celebrating Hari Raya in my home town is always merrier (than in Jakarta) as all our families will gather and pray together. We then go around the village visiting relatives and neighbours," she said.
Retired civil servant Wagiyanto, 72, and his wife, retired school principal Supartini, 70, also sorely missed their village in Kulonprogo, in Yogyakarta, which they last visited four years ago.
They arrived at the train station five hours before departure because they did not want to be caught in traffic jams.
Eyes welling up, Mr Wagiyanto said: "It's my birthplace. I spent 20 years there with my parents before coming to work in Jakarta, I miss my old friends, school friends and relatives and hope to meet them again. There are also new attractions there that we would like to visit."
Mr Prabowo Setiadi, 26, and his wife, Ms Ima Muhimatul Marlis, 27, are bringing something special when he meets his relatives in Kebumen, in Central Java.
"We don't need to bring any souvenirs home. Our baby is the gift," said Mr Prabowo, who runs a photocopy shop.
Ms Ima, a housewife, added: "There are other family members coming from other parts of Indonesia too. This year's celebration will certainly be merrier than the last few years." - The Straits Times/ANN
