Corona and Democracy - Indonesia

On this page, we are collecting information on the effects of the measures taken to halt the spread of the COVID-19 virus on democracy in Indonesia.

Information on COVID-19 measures and democracy
Type of measures Measures & sources
Limitations to freedom of movement

   5 February:

  • Indonesia stopped temporarily flights to and from mainland China and enforced an entry ban for visitors who have been in China for 14 days.

   8 March:

  • The government extended travel restrictions to travellers from coronavirus-hit regions of Iran, South Korea and Italy.

   15 March:

  • The President called for social distancing as announcing the closure of schools and public areas.

   20 March:

  • The government extended the entry ban and prohibition of transit of visitors from seven European countries and Iran. The government had also suspended all visa-free and visa-on-arrival arrangements for one month.

   23 March:

  • Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan announced a two-week state of emergency in the capital city until 2 April. The same decision was declared in other 34 provinces. The state of emergency allows the government to curb the movement of people and to deploy available resources. No lockdown in place and no penalty for non-compliance.

   28 March:

  • Jakarta extended state of emergency until April 19.

   31 March:

  • National government declared a national state of emergency calling for stricter social distancing. The government designated COVID-19 a public health emergency by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 11 of 2020, which allows the government to introduce health quarantine measures.

   8 April:

  • Police patrols have been increased to ensure compliance with the restrictions.

   12 April:

  • Nationwide transportation restrictions have been implemented.

   21 April:

  • President banned 'mudik' (exodus) as Ramadan approaches. As result bus travel is banned until 31 May, commercial and charter flights until 1 June, sea transportation until 8 June, and long-distance passenger trains until 15 June.

   23 April:

  • Jakarta’s large-scale social distancing restrictions extended to 22 May.

   28 April:

  • East Java provincial authorities have announced that Surabaya, Sidoarjo and Gresik undergo a two-week partial lockdown until 11 May.

   7 May:

  • The authorities authorized buses, planes, ships, and trains to resume domestic passenger transportation for certain individuals. Repatriation of migrant workers, students, and Indonesian citizens from abroad will also be enabled.

26 May:

  • Police will be deployed to enforce health protocols 

2 June:

  • The Haj pilgrimage has been canceled due to coronavirus concerns

4 June:

  • The coronavirus restrictions in Jakarta, the Indonesian capital, are slowly being eased

9 June:

  • Indonesia resumes domestic air travel, provided airlines operate at 70% capacity
Limitations to electoral rights
  • 4 May: President announced the postponement of this year’s elections from 23 September to 9 December or even longer depending on the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Limitation to civil rights
  • Issues have been raised concerning the government's transparency in fighting the Covid-19 outbreak. One of the critiques lies in the initial response of the government, which denied experts’ warning and has proven reluctant to impose measures to fight the virus.
Risks to data security
  • Reported lack of the privacy of Indonesian citizens in relation to the spread of the coronavirus on media.
Limitations to freedom of information
  • Police patrols have been intensified during the corona-crisis in Indonesia targeting those who criticize the government. The police have arrested people for allegedly spreading fake news, hate speech related to COVID-19 against President Joko, and misinformation on COVID-19. Anyone caught spreading false information related to government policies in handling contagious disease can face a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment. Meanwhile, anyone caught insulting the President and other top officials in relation to COVID-19 policies will be charged with ½ years in prison.
Emergency powers for government

   31 March:

  • The government voted the GR 21/2020 focuses solely on limitations on large-scale social interactions and allows regional governments to restrict the movement of people and goods in and out of their respective localities provided they had received permission from the relevant ministry.


   14 April:

  • The Indonesian government has declared the coronavirus outbreak in the country as a national disaster. The status is stipulated in Presidential Decree No. 12/2020 on the Stipulation of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Non-Natural Disaster as a National Disaster, issued on Monday (13/4). The decree gives increased powers to the national COVID-19 Task Force and requires provinces, regencies, and municipalities to follow the central government's policies in responding to the pandemic. https://www.idnfinancials.com/news/33468/indonesia-declares-covid-outbreak-national-disaster
Corona laws - full text
Various 28 June:
  • President Widodo threatens to reshuffle cabinet over poor COVID-19 response
Last updated on 14.07.2020

Please note that we are constantly updating the information under rapidly changing circumstances, the information on this page should not be taken to be a complete overview of measures in a country. 

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