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Foreigners in Indonesia’s Jakarta are finding it harder to get Covid-19 vaccines than in Bali
- Even locals have reported running into red tape in their bid to get vaccinated, and the documentation requirements for foreigners are even more stringent
- They are also being charged for jabs, unlike locals, with the situation leading to an exodus of expatriates from the capital
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Isabella was left perplexed when her appointment for a free dose of the Chinese-made Sinovac vaccine was suddenly cancelled last week. The Argentine national, who has been living in Indonesia for 15 years, was told there was now a charge for foreigners looking to get vaccinated.
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“They suddenly said [Jakarta’s health agency] was pushing all hospitals to push foreigners to use the ‘gotong royong’,” she said, referring to the paid vaccination scheme under which Indonesia offers two doses of China’s Sinopharm vaccine for 700,000 rupiah (US$49).
Isabella asked This Week in Asia to withhold her real name due to the sensitivity of the issue, as she works as a frontline science researcher. She and her son were in the Jakarta town hall, which has been turned into an expatriate-only vaccination centre, on Tuesday with hundreds of other foreigners who remain in the country despite an exodus amid Indonesia’s Delta-variant-driven second wave of Covid-19.
“I don’t have a problem with paying, I believe it is necessary to get protection,” she said. “But my question is, why is Indonesia allowing its citizens to go to Singapore or the United States, who then post all over Instagram that they’re getting free Pfizer vaccines, but here there’s actual [regulations that say] foreigners [have to pay for vaccines]?”
Jakarta on Sunday said it had reached herd immunity – with around 57 per cent of residents having received two doses, and most receiving one, amid a fall in case numbers – though these claims have been questioned by experts.
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However, foreigners living in the capital are still facing hurdles to get jabs that have been prioritised for Indonesians. Even locals have reported running into red tape in their bid to get vaccinated, and the documentation requirements for foreigners are even more stringent – permits, residency certificates, and a personal registration number, known by the acronym NIK.
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