Travellers from South Africa and the rest of Africa now require a health certificate to enter Indonesia, as a result of the Ebola outbreak. Airlines seem to be largely unaware of the new requirement. Passengers without correct documentation risk being denied entry into the country when applying for a visa-on-arrival.
The Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia in Cape Town and the embassy in Pretoria have advised travellers bound for Indonesia that they now require a health certificate from their local health practitioner to confirm they are not infected with the Ebola virus as part of the visa requirement process. The new advisory is effective until further notice.
Travellers are able to apply for a visa at the Consulate or Embassy, or they can acquire a visa-on-arrival for entry into the country.
"There is no indication at this time that Ebola is spreading in the general community in South Africa. Nevertheless, to take precautions to protect the country's health and prevent the spread of the virus to other areas, the Consulate General of the Repubic of Indonesia has advised all travellers who will be visiting Indonesia to produce a health certificate," the Consulate said in a statement.
Indonesian authorities are also implementing Ebola screening points at all entry points in Indonesia.
Cathay Pacific said it had not received any such advisory from the Indonesian consulate and, as such, was not currently implementing checks for health certificates at boarding.
Thai Airways confirmed that it too had not received any notification of the new requirement, commenting, however, that should the airline receive such instructions it would ensure that procedures were implemented accordingly.
Airlines that could not respond by the time of publication include Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Qantas and AF-KLM.
