Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) on Monday said that 44 million people are expected to travel before and during the upcoming Christmas and New Year celebrations.

During a closed meeting on preparations for the holidays here on Monday, the President asked all ministries and non-ministerial institutions to prepare policies and infrastructure so that Christmas and New Year run safely and comfortably.

“We need to be aware of a survey by the Transportation Policy Agency that there is a potential movement of 44 million people this Christmas and New Year,” he said.

The President then asked all stakeholders to anticipate problems and disturbances that could potentially arise during the holiday period.

“I ask all sectors and stakeholders to anticipate disruptions this Christmas and New Year. Preparations must be made thoroughly so that people feel comfortable and safe,” he said.

The National Police earlier planned to conduct Operation Lilin 2022 from December 22, 2022, to January 2, 2023.

The police informed that 52,636 locations will be covered by Operation Lilin. The locations will include 711 terminals, 653 seaports, 206 airports, 256 train stations, 3,693 markets and shopping centers, 3,709 tourist attractions, 41,702 churches, and 1,706 New Year’s Eve celebration points.

A total of 102 thousand police personnel will be kept on standby along with personnel from the defense forces (TNI), Health Ministry, Transportation Department, Jasa Marga, as well as related ministries and non-ministerial government agencies.

In addition, the police will set up 1,868 security posts, 776 service posts, and 70 integrated posts for the holiday period.

Source: Antara News