Indonesia promises strict health protocols for U-20 World Cup

Jokowi, as the president is widely known, said the government has chosen six cities across the Southeast Asian country to host the tournament scheduled to run from May 20 to June 12, 2021, including in the capital Jakarta and on the resort island of Bali.

“The most important thing is we have to make sure that Indonesia has prepared strict health protocols so it would be very safe to visit and to host the U-20 (World Cup) 2021,” he told cabinet ministers in a broadcast meeting.

World soccer’s governing body FIFA had decided not to hold opening and closing ceremonies due to the pandemic, according to Muhadjir Effendy, Indonesia’s chief development minister.

With the highest number of coronavirus infections and deaths in Southeast Asia, authorities have been struggling to contain the outbreak in the archipelago of more than 17,000 islands.