My Journey Home to My Homeland during the Pandemic Period
I decided to "retire" from Hong Kong, after several years working in the Land of Concrete as a domestic worker. On December 3, 2020, I flew from Hong Kong to Lombok and transited first at Soekarno-Hatta Airport, Tangerang, Banten.
Through this article, I will share the story of my journey home to Indonesia and all the procedures I followed. Hopefully this information is useful for friends of Indonesian migrant workers and all Indonesian citizens in Hong Kong who want to return to their country when the Covid-19 pandemic is endemic.
Covid-19 test
On Tuesday, December 1, 2020, I did Covid-19 test, the first thing that must be done as a condition for my return to Indonesia. Arriving at the test center building in Yuen Long, I was immediately greeted by officers who served me well and were very friendly.
They asked me when I would return to Indonesia. I also mentioned December 3, as well as told me the time of my departure while showing my airplane ticket. As a result, they advised me to take the test on December 2nd only.
"Your test results will come out 1 × 24 hours. It's best not to be too early for the swab test, "said an officer in Cantonese.
On the recommended date, at exactly 10 am, I came back to the Yuen Long East Community Hall Building for the Covid-19 test which was delayed two days ago. The Community Hall building, which was transformed into a mass testing venue by the Hong Kong Government, is not difficult to find. From the MTR station take Exit H. After descending the stairs, just walk straight down the Private Road. Before long, I saw a banner indicating the direction to the building.
Make sure, when you come to the building where the Covid-19 test is, we bring your HKID and passport. This is because the officers will question the two documents. Upon arrival at the location, we are also asked to queue for payment of a fee of HK $ 240.
After processing the payment, checking HKID, passport, and cellphone number, I was directed to the checkpoint. As the test officer said two days ago, the document certificate of my Covid-19 test results came out within 1 × 24 hours. We need this document for the purposes of flying home to Indonesia. But before that, we can get the test results via SMS, about 4-5 hours after undergoing the test.
Besides being able to come directly to the location, registration to take the Covid-19 test can also be done online first. Namely, it can be via a link ct@csb.gov.hk or https://www.communitytest.gov.hk/ or call the telephone number 62756901.
Arrive in Indonesia
After a flight of about 5 hours, I arrived in Indonesia, at Soekarno-Hatta Airport, Banten. Exiting the airplane, I immediately walked to the table to fill out the forms provided by the officers at the airport which had to be filled in by all passengers who had just arrived in Indonesia from abroad.
The form is in the form of a sheet of paper that contains a list of identity documents. Namely, full name, age, and city of origin.
The procedure that I had to go through was followed by a temperature check and a letter and document check. Then, I was directed to the Immigration counter. After checking my passport, as usual, I was able to collect my luggage.
Show the Mobile IMEI QR Code at the Airport Customs Office
Next, I asked the airport clerk about the location of the Customs office. Apparently, it was still inside the airport. To be precise, the baggage claim area is on the right before heading to the exit. The office is quite big. Inside is provided a queue and there is Customs and Excise writing that is large and clear to read when we pass the street in front of the office.
At the Soekarno-Hatta Airport Customs office, I was again checking cell phones that were purchased and used in Hong Kong. All IMEIs are not registered. This I found out after checking it on the website imei.kemenperin.go.id while still in Hong Kong.
However, I have registered it via www.beacukai.go.id/register-imei.html. The tutorial video for registering the IMEI Cellphone that we want to bring from Hong Kong to Indonesia can be watched at https://web.facebook.com/kjrihk/videos/654811011855680, Facebook post of the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia (KJRI) Hong Kong, 6 November 2020 ago.
In the video tutorial, we get an explanation of the registration process. Next, what data must be filled in. So, at the Airport Customs office, I only took about 10 minutes to show the QR code which I took a moment to take after registering the IMEI on the Customs website while in Hong Kong. After that, my cellphone was ready to insert an Indonesian phone card.
I also rushed out of the airport to buy airplane tickets to the final stop I was headed for. Namely, Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, my hometown. And thank God, at 4 pm Friday, December 4, I landed at Peraya International Airport, Mataram, without any problems.
Written based on the experience of the author named Marlina, a volunteer Dompet Dhuafa Hong Kong who returned to Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara.
