COVID-19-positive passenger on Jakarta-Sorong flight had been cleared by authorities: Garuda

A passenger who was allowed to board a Garuda Indonesia flight from Jakarta to Sorong, West Papua, despite having recently tested positive for COVID-19 had been cleared for travel by health authorities, the carrier has said. “All passengers on the flight received validation and clearance from relevant authorities regarding compliance with health requirements for flight passengers,” Garuda president director Irfan Setiaputra said Sunday. Flight GA 682 had also followed physical distancing protocols, with passengers limited to 62% of total capacity, Irfan said. He added that Garuda had disinfected the aircraft and had requested that the cabin crews on duty that day self-quarantine. “We will conduct intensive coordination and communication regarding the follow-up to this incident in order to ensure that health procedures for flights during the new normal transition period run optimally,” Irfan said. Sorong Airport Health Office coordinator Farida Tariq said that health officials had discovered that the passenger, a 20-year-old student, had tested positive for the virus during a routine health document check conducted upon arrival at Domine Eduard Osok Airport in Sorong on Saturday. According to the latest government regulations on air travel, all prospective passengers must provide documents showing a negative COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or rapid test result before being allowed to fly.<br/>