AmCham Update
AmCham Update Vol. 2 #106
Bali Opens its Borders to 19 Countries, Low Weekly Testing, Plans to Prevent December Spike
Oct 15, 2021 | AmCham Indonesia

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19 Countries Allowed Entry into Bali

The government opened up Bali to foreign tourists from 19 countries yesterday, Oct 14, in a bid to revive the island's economy. The countries are: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, New Zealand, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Liechtenstein, Italy, France, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Poland, Hungary, and Norway. The list applies specifically for direct flights to Bali and the Riau Islands.

The 19 countries were selected according to the World Health Organization's Covid-19 transmission standards.

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Updated International Travel Requirements

Foreign visitors will be allowed to enter Indonesia if they fulfill requirements set out in the Ministry of Law and Human Rights Regulation 34/2021, travel under the bilateral Travel Corridor Arrangement (TCA) agreement scheme, or have written permission from relevant ministries or institutions. The provisions are in Covid-19 Task Force Circular Letter 20/2021 concerning the International Travel Health Protocol during the Covid-19 Pandemic, issued on Oct 14.

Visitors are obliged to show full dose vaccination proof (physical or digital), while diplomatic and official visa holders, travelers under 18, and those with health conditions are exempted from requirements. Travelers are also obliged to show a PCR negative test result taken three days before departure. On arrival, they will undergo a PCR re-test and be quarantined for five days.

Related link:

SE KASATGAS 20/2021


Task Force Prepares New Policies to Prevent December Surge

Additional policies are being prepared to anticipate a predicted third wave of spikes in Covid-19 cases at the end of the year, said Covid-19 Task Force (Satgas) spokesperson Wiku Adisasmito. Wiku said all elements of society need to focus on ensuring compliance with health protocols. The government will also strive to improve its surveillance strategy and national vaccination program.

The Health Ministry’s Director of Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, said the government will continue pushing tracing and testing. Though unsure whether PPKM will be tightened or loosened, Nadia said it will continue.

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Low Covid-19 Testing in Indonesia: WHO

Indonesia saw low Covid-19 testing this past week, according to the World Health Organization's (WHO) weekly report released on Oct 14. The proportion of positive tests nationally was below 2 percent, indicating only 1 person per 1,000 of the population was tested for.

"Surveillance is only 1:1,000 population per week," the report said. "While previously in the last four weeks the figure was more than 4:1,000 population per week. It is very important to ensure rigorous testing to identify cases quickly."

Some 1,213,761 people were tested during the period Oct 7-13, with a daily average of 173,394.

Related link:

CLICK HERE FOR WHO REPORT


AmCham Cares: Chevron

Chevron Pacific Indonesia (CPI) has been part of Indonesia's oil and gas industry and a contributor to economic development for nearly 100 years. There is nothing more important to the company than the partnership with the community it has built-in Riau, where it operates.

CPI has collaborated with the Indonesian Elephant Association (PGI) and Jungle Satwa Foundation in efforts to save the Sumatran Elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus) in Riau through monitoring its population and elephant habitat development.

"This support also increases the participation of Sumatran elephant conservation agencies to contribute in reducing the number of elephant deaths in nature, as targeted by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry in the Urgent Action Plan for Saving Sumatran Elephant Populations, with the target to reduce significant threats in 2020-2023," said Dr. Wishnu Sukmantoro of PGI.

"A huge appreciation to CPI and the support from all parties so we can reduce the threat significantly in three locations in Riau, namely at the elephant sanctuaries of Balai Raja, Giam Siak Kecil and Petapahan [Minas]," said Wishnu, who is also a member of the IUCN SSC Asian Elephant Specialist Indonesian Elephant Conservation Group and Forum.


ICT Committee Hears Latest AmCham Advocacy Efforts

Personal data protection, e-commerce policies, and regulations on electronic platforms were among the topics discussed in AmCham’s IT and Teleconnectivity Committee meeting. Held virtually on Oct 14, the meeting was well attended, ranging from tech companies to US government representatives. 

The meeting gave updates on AmCham’s recent engagements with government stakeholders on several important topics. On personal data protection, AmCham met separately with two members of the House of Representatives (DPR) Commission I, learning the DPR and government still aim to pass the Data Protection Bill this year.

AmCham also met with the Ministry of Communication and Informatics, discussing private electronic system operators (ESOs) registration with the One Single Submission Risk-based Approach (OSS RBA) system. For e-commerce, AmCham engaged with two stakeholders: the Director-General of Domestic Trade to discuss the revision progress of Minister of Trade Regulation 50/2020; and Statistics Indonesia's (BPS) Director of Balance of Expenditure to discuss the e-commerce data collection regulation. 


IMF Lowers Indonesia's 2021 Economic Growth Projection

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has cut its projection for Indonesia’s economic growth to 3.2 percent from 3.9 percent, as some countries are still seeing high Covid-19 cases due to the Delta variant. The IMF also expects global economic growth to fall to 5.9 percent from its initial projection of 6 percent. Head of the Fiscal Policy Agency (BKF) Febrio Kacaribu said Indonesia’s economic growth projection is not as bad as other ASEAN countries, only being lowered by 0.7 percent compared to Vietnam (2.7 percent), the Philippines (2.2 percent), Malaysia, (1.2 percent) and Thailand (1.1 percent).

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Support Independent Journalism: Subscribe to The Jakarta Post

In these difficult times, our hometown English language newspaper, The Jakarta Post, is more important than ever. Given the difficulties of physical circulation and the economic slump, the Post needs to boost its online subscribers – a goal we heartily support at AmCham Indonesia. Quality English language news is vital for our businesses, our home offices, and the flow of information out of Indonesia. It is for this reason, that we are urging all of our members and readers to subscribe to JP! Information is what will help get us through this crisis. Below is information about how to sign up.

JP Premium Digital Subscription Packages

https://www.thejakartapost.com/packages

Monthly subscription – Rp 50,000

Yearly subscription – Rp 600,000


Now is the Time to Join AmCham!

Now is the Time to Join AmCham!

We offer a full slate of meetings, events, and information for our community online. But we can only do this through the support of our members. If you are not yet an AmCham member, please join now.

AmCham Indonesia is open to all companies with an interest in US business relations and we have many non-American members. We are a community and we welcome you!

Reach us at [email protected] or click below!

JOIN AMCHAM

 


AmCham Office and Events

AmCham Office and Events

The AmCham Office is on the work-from-home status and all face-to-face meetings and events have been postponed. We are having a number of meetings online using the Zoom platform. You will be notified of virtual meetings as they are scheduled.

 

 


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What is Your Company Doing on COVID-19?

Please let us know what measures your company may be taking in the form of donations and other assistance to help Indonesia during this time of confusion and concern. Contact [email protected] with your news. We would like to publicize the ways that our AmCham companies are pitching in.


Stay well

We urge you to send us press releases and other information that we can pass on to the broader AmCham community. If you have items of interest, please email material to [email protected]. Follow this link to information provided by the US Embassy

Stay safe, call a doctor if you have a high fever, cough, or difficulty breathing. Stay healthy above all else.


AmCham Update is AmCham's regular newsletter on developments related to the pandemic crisis and other issues in Indonesia. It is edited by AmCham Managing Director A Lin Neumann and written by the AmCham Staff. Paul L Goddard is the Managing Editor

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