Demonstrating Indonesia’s Reliability
Saudi Arabia\'s decision to temporarily ban pilgrims and tourists from 24 countries, including Indonesia, warrants consideration.
The reasoning behind the temporary ban is to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus that causes Covid-19 disease to the pilgrims and tourists as well as residents of Saudi Arabia. To this day, Indonesia states that there have been no cases of coronavirus infection. One may question, therefore, why Indonesia is included on the list of 24 countries.
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, commenting on the decision of the Saudi Arabian government, expressed respect for the policy as a form of preventive action. Meanwhile, Vice President Ma\'ruf Amin and Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said the Saudi government should exclude Indonesia from the list of 24 countries, especially for pilgrims who have already departed for and landed in Saudi Arabia.