Health Minister: President Wants All Eid Travellers to Remain Healthy

JAKARTA - Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said that President Prabowo Subianto wants all citizens travelling for Eid to remain in good health, both during departure, in their hometowns, and upon return. “The President wants all his people to be able to travel for Eid and stay healthy when returning from Eid, healthy during Eid at their destinations, and healthy when coming back from Eid,” Budi said at the Metro Jaya Police Headquarters in Jakarta on Wednesday (18/3/2026). He appreciated the steps taken by National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo to facilitate free Eid travel, including health checks for travellers before departure. “The biggest health issue is accidents, which are the most common cause of people returning unwell or arriving at their Eid destinations unwell,” Budi explained. On that occasion, he also appreciated the role of the Ministry of Transportation, which has significantly improved transportation facilities and infrastructure in recent years. Nevertheless, he reminded that accident potential now mostly occurs on arterial roads, especially those used by motorbike riders. “Now it’s shifted because toll roads have decreased significantly; now most are on arterial roads, used by motorbikes,” he said. For this reason, he requested the media’s role in educating the public to be more careful during the journey, especially for those travelling by motorbike. “After two or three hours, stop first; the Transport Minister has provided mosques as rest areas on arterial routes. Health posts are also there with the Police Chief, so you can stop by,” Budi explained.