G20 chair Indonesia seeks standardised health travel requirements

[March 28, 2022]  YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia (Reuters) - Group of 20 major economies chair Indonesia has started talks with members on standardising health protocols for travel, its health minister said on Monday, stressing the importance of harmonising rules and technology as global travel resumes.

"Every person on this earth who travels... can do so more efficiently," minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin told a news conference at a G20 health meeting in Yogyakarta, where standardising requirements is being discussed.

Indonesia proposal, however, is that standardisation must still adhere to COVID-19 policies of respective countries, including which vaccines, tests, or testing authorities they would recognise, he said.

"The principle remains that we respect sovereignty of all nations," he added.

Budi said Indonesia had discussed harmonising protocols also with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the European Union, for travel between both regions.
 

His remarks come as many countries relax restrictions to try to revive tourism and business travel, including Indonesia, which last week waived quarantine requirements after two years of tight border controls.

Speaking at a separate news conference in Yogyakarta, Garrett Mehl, head of WHO's Digital Health Technology Unit, said harmonising health protocols for travel was crucial and current situation was difficult.

"There is an enormous number of certificate types that are being issued and they aren't necessarily compatible with each other," he said.

A syringe and a vial labelled "coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine" are placed on a passport in this illustration taken April 27, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

A standardised system of certification "would ensure that it will be functional in another country and be trusted and be verifiable," he said.

"Right now that is a challenge."

Indonesia hosts the G20 summit later this year and Russia's invasion of Ukraine has loomed over discussions in recent weeks, with some members calling for Moscow to be barred.

Russia describes its actions in Ukraine as a "special operation". Its ambassador in Jakarta last week said President Vladimir Putin intends to join the G20 summit.

Budi, the Indonesian health minister, sidestepped a question on Monday about Russia's participation and said: "With the health sector, we can unite and work together."

(Reporting by Stanley Widianto; Editing by Martin Petty)

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