An outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Bali has sparked fears that the disease could spread to Australia.Video/New Zealand Herald
Two years on, hearing the words “contagious”, “virus” and “closed borders” in the same sentence is enough to make anyone panic.
However, when Australian groups and individuals called for a halt to flights to Indonesia last week, it had nothing to do with Covid-19, or even a disease that humans can contract.
Rather, it’s about the risk of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD); an extremely contagious virus that affects cloven-hoofed animals and often causes death.
It is currently in many countries, including Malaysia and China, but made headlines after returning to Indonesia for the first time in 37 years. More notably, its presence in Bali, a popular tourist destination in Australia, has some Australian experts worried that travelers could bring the disease back through soil on their shoes or contaminated animal products.
How is Australia responding to risks?
On July 15, the Australian travel advisory website “Smartraveller” updated its Indonesia page. It now contains a warning about FMD under the “Travel” section.
“Indonesia, including Bali, is currently experiencing an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease affecting animals,” the website reads. The advice linked on the page simply advises travellers to clean their shoes, clothes and equipment before flying home and declare any contact with farm animals or rural areas on the incoming passenger card.
NSW Deputy Premier Paul Toole advised travellers to throw away their shoes before returning to Australia. Meanwhile, opposition senator Susan MacDonald and some farming groups have caused a stir after calling for a ban on flights between Australia and Indonesia.
However, this was quickly ruled out by Australian Agriculture Minister Murray Watt.
“We have no plans to close the border with Indonesia or the many other countries that have foot-and-mouth disease,” Watt told Sky last week.
“I have not received advice from Australian biosecurity experts that this is what we should be doing.”
How is New Zealand responding?
Fear of foot and mouth disease in Indonesia is much lower in New Zealand, which currently does not have direct flights to Bali.
Even if we did, Stuart Anderson, Deputy Commissioner of Biosecurity New Zealand, said they had full confidence in the current (and extremely stringent) biosecurity process.
“We have a powerful multi-layered system with the most powerful environment in the world,” he said.
However, they do plan to strengthen border security protocols for travelers from Indonesia and increase passenger education through in-flight announcements and brochures.
Anderson said while the risk of FMD entering New Zealand was low, it was still important to keep an eye on how FMD develops and make further adjustments if needed.
Currently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ travel advisory website “SafeTravel” does not mention foot-and-mouth disease on Indonesia’s travel advisory page.
On 20 July, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Indonesia.
“New Zealand has no foot-and-mouth disease and we need to keep it out,” the statement read.
Similar to Australia, advice for travellers includes cleaning belongings, declaring contact with livestock and items that may carry disease or pests, not bringing animal products home, and avoiding stockpiling for a week after last contact with animals overseas.
Should you travel to Bali?
If you’re planning a vacation to Bali, this news may make you question whether you should worry.
The answer is yes, but no.
Yes, because if anything does happen to a pandemic or epidemic, including government restrictions or quarantines, or if Indonesia is classified as “Do Not Travel” by MFAT, your travel insurance may lapse.
For example, Southern Cross Travel’s policies generally exclude government or official agency orders, restrictions, bans, quarantines or detentions.
So if Australia, New Zealand or Bali closes borders or imposes pandemic-related restrictions on airlines, there will be no costs associated with that.
Additionally, most travel insurance policies exclude any destination with an MFAT “Do Not Travel” recommendation. Therefore, if Indonesia is given this label, your trip will not be insured.
The good news is that border closures and level 4 recommendations seem unlikely, according to experts.
However, as Australia’s agriculture minister said last week, the Australian government is not considering closing the border, and reports of people calling for a ban on flying in Australia may be disturbing.
In terms of MFAT, Indonesia has a very low risk of getting a “do not travel” advice for diseases that do not directly affect people.
In fact, the department has only issued a Level 4 advisory for one disease in its entire history, and that was for Covid-19.
“SafeTravel is focused on advising on safety and security issues that may affect travellers in specific destinations,” said an MFAT spokesperson.
“Our travel advice reflects the potential risks and our assessment of what these might mean for New Zealanders.”
