Indonesia’s President Jokowi is urging travelers to complete their COVID-19 vaccinations before the Idul Fitri mudik (exodus) holiday, as the country prepares for an expected 120 million travelers. The call comes as the country recently discovered two imported cases of the new Arcturus strain of COVID-19 responsible for case spikes in several countries. Health experts note that Arcturus is highly transmissible and can endure antibodies developed through vaccination and natural infection.

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo of Indonesia has called on participants in the upcoming Idul Fitri mudik (exodus) to complete their COVID-19 vaccinations before making the journey, as the country prepares for the biggest wave of mudik travelers since the start of the pandemic, with an expected 120 million people. The President stated that getting vaccinated and booster shots on time is key to preventing a potential case spike during the Muslim holiday. The immunization drive has slowed partially due to the sluggish rollout of booster doses. Currently, 174 million people have completed their primary vaccinations, and 68 million have received their first booster dose. As of Thursday, 174 million people had completed their primary vaccinations, and 68 million had received their first booster dose. Despite the minor increase in Indonesia’s caseload over the past few days, the situation is still conducive to unencumbered holiday travel, according to the President.

The President’s call comes after officials confirmed the country’s first two known cases of the new Arcturus strain of COVID-19, which is responsible for increased caseloads in several countries including India and Singapore. Both cases are thought to be imported. Health experts have noted that Arcturus can endure antibodies developed through vaccination and natural infection and is highly transmissible. Even so, the government has played down the severity of the new virus strain, insisting that it is not fatal and that symptoms are not likely to become severe. Nonetheless, ministry spokeswoman Siti Nadia Tarmizi urged the public to abide by health protocols and get booster doses to prevent transmission during the mudik season.

Officials confirmed that the COVID-19 variant, indexed as XBB.1.16, had been found in two individuals late last month, but declined to divulge where they were located. According to a study by the University of Tokyo, Arcturus is nearly 1.2 times as transmissible as the XBB.1.5 strain, nicknamed Kraken, another highly contagious version of the Omicron variant. Last month, the WHO flagged Arcturus as being “under monitoring”. One Indian pediatrician noted that some children infected with the Arcturus strain were beginning to show symptoms of conjunctivitis, an eye infection, which had not been previously seen with other COVID-19 variants.