Tourism stakeholders and the public in Indonesia must be alert to the rise of the XBB.1.16 or Arcturus sub-variant of COVID-19 in neighboring countries, according to Lestari Moerdijat, Deputy Speaker of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR). She suggests that those in the tourism sector temporarily avoid travel to countries affected by the sub-variant, keep the current health protocols intact, and consistently maintain the protocols at the entry points and tourist areas in the country. The managers of tourist areas must be consistent in implementing the required health protocols as well. Collaboration between stakeholders at the central and regional levels is essential to curbing the spread of the sub-variant as public mobility rises due to the Eid holiday period. In March 2023, two cases of Arcturus were detected in Jakarta, and the two patients have since recovered. The new sub-variant is 1.5 times more transmissible than XBB.1.5 or Kraken, according to the director-general of disease prevention and control at the Ministry of Health, Maxi Rein Rondonowu.
