Indonesia has the world’s biggest Muslim population. It just banned holiday travel over Ramadan

Indonesia has temporarily banned domestic road, air and sea travel starting Friday to prevent the spread of coronavirus, as millions of Muslims mark the start of the holy month of Ramadan.

Indonesia has the world’s largest Muslim population, and tens of millions of people make their way home to celebrate the end of Ramadan each year with families and loved ones, an annual tradition called mudik.

But the country is grappling with rapidly rising numbers of coronavirus infections and there are concerns that the mass migration home for Idul Fitri – the Indonesian name for Eid al-Fitr, the celebration that marks the end of the month-long Ramadan fast – will spark further Covid-19 outbreaks.

In the early stages of the pandemic, Indonesia was a regional outlier, not reporting any Covid-19 cases until early March. Now, the country has the second-worst outbreak in Southeast Asia, behind Singapore.

To try to prevent the disease spreading further, all holiday travel in the country has been banned, with public transport between major cities suspended from Friday until May 31. Tens of thousands of troops are being deployed at checkpoints to enforce the regulations.

Private vehicles and motorbikes have been banned from traveling in and out of the major cities that are Covid-19 hotspots, known as “red zones.” In these places, stricter lockdown measures are in force to contain the virus. The Greater Jakarta area is one such zone, where coronavirus has spread rapidly in the past month.

Indonesia has recorded 8,211 coronavirus cases and 689 people have died, according to government figures. Indonesian President Joko Widodo declared a national public health emergency on March 31 but has not issued a nationwide lockdown.

This year, Indonesian Muslims will be observing Ramadan in very different circumstances. Strict social distancing measures in coronavirus hotspots, such as the capital Jakarta, prevent families and friends from visiting each other and breaking their fast together with the iftar meal.

Indonesia’s Ulema Council and Nahdlatul Ulama, the country’s largest Islamic organizations, called for Muslims not to pray together in the mosques. The government has not implemented a ban to close any mosques at this stage.

“There is no splendor on the streets, the mosque space is in silence, the new atmosphere we will feel, absorbing the true meaning of fasting that we run,” President Joko Widodo said, encouraging Muslims to focus on private prayer and make fasting a personal worship.

“Let’s welcome the blessing Ramadan as a moment to break the chain of transmission of the plague for the sake of personal safety, relatives and the entire nation.”

People offer prayers at the Islamic Center Lhokseumawe mosque in Aceh, Indonesia, on May 22.

An officer wearing a protective mask gathers Zakat al-Fitr, or charity, during the holy month of Ramadan with a drive-through system as preventive measures against the spread of the coronavirus at Nurul Hidayah Mosque in Jakarta, Indonesia on May 21.

A worker sprays disinfectant in a mosque ahead of the last Friday prayers of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Peshawar, Pakistan, on May 21.

A young man covers his head with the Quran at a mosque in Basra, Iraq, on Sunday, May 17. He was showing respect on Laylat al-Qadr, believed to be Islam's holiest night of the year.

Students in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, read the Quran at the Islamic deaf boarding school Darul Ashom on Thursday, May 14.

Muhammad Haniyyah prays alone in the Great Mosque of Gaza on May 14. He has been a mu'adhin — the person who leads and recites the call to prayer — at the mosque for 30 years.

A man prays at the Al Munawarah mosque in Jantho, Indonesia, on May 12.

A man sells a yogurt drink in a popular market area in Erbil, Iraq, on May 11.

A family breaks their fast in Cairo on May 11.

A woman reads the Quran at her window overlooking the Al-Nasr Mosque in Nablus, West Bank, on May 10.

Rabia, Carlos and their daughter, A'sha, pray during their iftar meal in Lisbon, Portugal, on May 10. They usually break fast at the home of Rabia's parents, who can be seen on the video call here.

Vendors purchase seasonal fruits in Islamabad, Pakistan, on May 9.

Syrian Fahad and his children pray after breaking their fast in Athens, Greece, on May 8.

Muslims maintain social distancing as they offer prayers at the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on May 7.

An imam counts beads at the Imam Sadiq Mosque in Abyek, Iran, on May 7. The Iranian government had just announced the reopening of mosques in areas of lower risk.

A family breaks fast in London on May 7.

People break fast amid destroyed buildings in Al Atarib, Syria, on May 7.

Muslim women, silhouetted in the foreground, pray on a rooftop in Kolkata, India, after breaking their Ramadan fast on May 6.

A man hands out food to women in Lahore, Pakistan, on May 6.

Rohingya refugee Shahid Hussain, 10, offers prayers after breaking fast in New Delhi on April 30. His 2-year-old sister, Sania, sleeps in the next room.

Yusuf Kamel, 2, watches his parents Ahmad Kamel and Nadia Chaouch prepare a meal to break their daily Ramadan fast in Seattle on April 28.

Volunteers prepare meals to be given to migrant workers in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on April 28.

A youth in northern Gaza swings a homemade sparkler while celebrating Ramadan on April 26.

A blind woman in Medan, Indonesia, reads the Quran on April 26.

A man prays on the banks of Dal Lake in Srinagar, India, on April 26.

A devotee recites the Quran at the Star Mosque in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on April 26.

A man attends prayers at the Jame Mosque in Kathmandu, Nepal, on April 25.

Muslims pray after breaking their fast in Khartoum, Sudan, on April 25.

A family breaks their fast on the rooftop of their home in Colombo, Sri Lanka, as the sun goes down on April 25.

People keep their distance from one another as they pray next to the gate of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem on April 24.

Imam Hassanat Ahmed delivers his Friday broadcast, "Preparing for a Unique Ramadan," in an empty Noor Ul Islam Mosque in Bury, England. It was delivered via social media.

Worshippers perform prayers at the Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on April 24.

An Iraqi Sunni cleric of Sheikh Hameed reads the Quran at the Umm Al-Tabool Mosque in Baghdad, Iraq.

Drummers wearing traditional clothes play and read folk poetry to wake people for the sahur meal in Gaza City on April 24. Sahur is the last meal before a long day of fasting.

A man reads the Quran outside the closed Jamia Mosque in Nairobi, Kenya, on April 24.

A Muslim man wearing a protective face mask prays at a mosque in Bangkok, Thailand.

A butcher shows pieces of lamb to a client in Paris on April 24.

An imam leads a prayer that was broadcast live from an empty National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Muslim men attend a Friday prayer in Lhokseumawe, Indonesia.

People attend the first Friday prayer at the Anwar Mosque in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Esat Sahin, imam of the iconic Fatih Mosque, holds a prayer without public attendance in Istanbul.

Security personnel stand guard and people spread out before entering a mosque in Lahore, Pakistan, on April 24.

A cleric attends prayers in a mostly empty mosque in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Men read verses of the Quran at the Grand Mosque in Sanaa, Yemen.

Workers pray as they wait to break the fast at their shop in Peshawar, Pakistan, on April 24.

A man prays in an empty mosque in Qazax, Azerbaijan, on April 23.

People view the moon from the roof of the Al Musariin Mosque in Jakarta, Indonesia. They were waiting to mark the official first night of Ramadan.

Marketgoers in Lhokseumawe, Indonesia, wear masks while preparing to buy meat for the Ramadan holiday on April 23.

A man in Karachi, Pakistan, places stickers on the floor of a mosque. The idea is to spread people out while they pray.

People shop at the Tajrish Bazaar in Tehran, Iran, ahead of the first night of Ramadan.

A woman in Hebron, West Bank, picks out freshly baked pastries as she shops for groceries before the start of Ramadan.

A mosque is empty in Madrid on the first night of Ramadan.

A man donates food to another in Johannesburg on April 23. "Zakat," or almsgiving, is one of the five pillars of Islam.

A man rides a scooter in front of a closed mosque in Grozny, Russia, on April 23.

Official members of the National Mosque perform the first "tarawih" prayer in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Women wait to receive Ramadan candies at a mosque in Springs, South Africa.

Devotees leave a mosque after offering prayers in Medan, Indonesia, on April 23.

In pictures: A Ramadan unlike any other

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Ramadan travel banned

The restrictions on travel have been timed to coincide with the peak of the exodus, which usually happens one week before Idul Fitr, when most residents of Jakarta and other big cities travel to their hometowns and villages to celebrate with relatives.

Train services will be suspended until June 15, while the ban on air travel will be in place until June 1, and travel by sea restrictions will be in place until June 8, Indonesian Transportation Ministry spokesperson Adita Irawati confirmed. Cargo transportation is exempt from the ban.

“Some exceptions are allowed for logistics, food supply, medicine supply, transportation for paramedics, fire department, and ambulance,” Irawati said.

She clarified that the measures don’t constitute a complete blockade of national roads and highways, but there will be checkpoints established to implement the ban.

Indonesia will deploy 175,000 military personal, police and public order officers from April 24 to seven days after Idul Fitri, Indonesian Police Spokesperson, Brigadier General Argo Yuwono, said 2,582 security and service police posts have been set up around the entrance to Jakarta and other major cities.

The date for Idul Fitri has not yet been set – it will be decided by government on the 29th day of Ramadan – but the holy month usually lasts for 30 days.

Those caught violating restrictions over the next two weeks will be directed back to their starting point, while those who continue to travel from May 7 to 31 will also be fined, Irawati said.

The President announced the travel ban at a cabinet meeting in Jakarta on Tuesday.

He said the decision to ban holiday travel was based on a survey held by the Transportation Ministry which found that 24% of people would still travel home despite social distancing restrictions in place.

A police spokesperson said the volume of cars that left Jakarta through main highway on Thursday increased 27% from the day before.

Social distancing during Islam’s holiest month

Indonesian muslims perform Tarawih prayers at Jogokaryan Mosque as marking the start of holy month of Ramadan on April 23, 2020 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

For Muslims, a big part of the holy month consists of special night prayers called “taraweeh,” held daily at the mosque.

While Indonesian Muslims have been advised to avoid praying in large groups, mosques remain open.

In some rural areas, villagers say they have formed taskforces to implement social distancing and hygiene measures while continuing to pray.

Shabbarin Syakur, an activist with the Islamist group Majelis Mujahidin, in Cemani village in Sukoharjo District’s Central Java Province, said almost all of the 30 mosques in his town are still open for group prayers like Friday prayers.

“Last night I went to my big mosque with other one hundred people to do Tarawih, or night praying, in Ramadan. I am not scared or afraid because we are living in a green zone and we also do a Covid-19 protocol in the mosque,” he said.

A green zone is an area that has no confirmed cases of coronavirus, but are under surveillance.

Shabbarin said that villagers have formed a taskforce in every mosque and provide soap and water to wash hands before entering, spray disinfectant and hand out masks. They ensure worshipers form a line line and keep a safe distance apart while praying inside the mosque.

“At the same time we also shortened the praying duration, erasing Imam’s speech, and breaking fast together in the mosque,” he said.

“The situation here in the villages are different than in Jakarta. So we educate villagers that they don’t really need to be panic or scared. Instead we educate them on how to be safe and secure themselves by understanding Covid-19 protocol in our mosque. So we can still do fasting month in Ramadan in peacefully,” he said.

Clarification: This story has been updated to reflect that Indonesia has the world’s biggest Muslim population.