Projections for Economic Recovery after Pandemic
The World Bank predicts the global economy will grow 4 percent in 2021, under the assumption 70 percent of the global population will receive COVID-19 vaccinations during the year.
Bloomberg reports it will take up to seven years to establish herd immunity globally, calculated from an estimated 4,686,070 doses of vaccine per day against 75 percent of the global population.
World Bank Managing Director Marie Elka Pangestu said the main factor in economic recovery is how quickly countries vaccinate and achieve herd immunity. She estimates it will take three to five years for Indonesia's economy to recover to where it was before the pandemic.
Related link
Vaccination for Seniors Begins
The National Food and Drug Control Agency (BPOM) has approved the emergency use authorization (EUA) of Sinovac’s Coronavac vaccines for those over 60. BPOM head Penny Lukito said this was based on phase II clinical trials in China and Brazil with 400 and 600 seniors, respectively.
Trials in China showcased positive results, with an antibody development rate of 97.96 percent after 28 days of the second dose of the vaccine with no serious side effects. Phase III clinical trials in Brazil also showcased light side effects at 1.1 percent, including soreness on the injection site, rash, light fever, swelling, redness of the skin and headache.
Health minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said the vaccination of seniors would start yesterday, Feb 8, and would begin with healthcare workers, with around 11,000 seniors working in the sector. Seniors contribute around 10 percent of all COVID-19 cases in Indonesia, but constitute 47.3 percent of total fatalities, according to the government.
Related link:
PSBB Extended to Feb 22
Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan has extended strict large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) for in the city for another two weeks from Feb 8-22, and quashed rumors of a weekend lockdown policy.
Anies also said the implementation of micro-scale public activity restrictions (PPKM) issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs was not necessary as it was similar to the PSBB already in place. Since last year, the Jakarta government has made a conscious effort to tighten social restrictions and enact micro-level restrictions through strict area control policies.
Related link:
Minister of Home Affairs Instruction No. 3 of 2021
New Contact Tracing Strategy for Micro PPKM
The Ministry of Health is to revamp its testing and tracing strategy during the phase of micro-scale public activity restrictions PPKM in various regions from Feb 8-22. The new strategy involves using rapid antigen tests for preliminary screening and treating patients through responsive isolation.
Vaccination spokesperson Siti Nadia Tarmizi said the Ministry aims to fulfill the World Health Organization’s 1:30 tracing target, meaning that for every person infected with COVID-19, 30 close contacts must be traced and tested. It aims to trace close contacts within 72 hours of finding a positive case. To fulfill these targets, the Ministry is preparing 80,000 volunteers as tracers who will assist healthcare workers in the field.
The micro-level restrictions essentially take enforcement of social movement restrictions down to the neighborhood, or RT, level. It is considered a more “relaxed” way to enforce COVID movement restrictions.
Related link:
AmCham Cares: HSBC Indonesia
HSBC Indonesia has consistently helped vulnerable communities affected by COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic. Through cooperation with Rumah Zakat, Wahana Visi Indonesia, PMI and YCAB, contributions have been made to many regions in Indonesia.
“All of the efforts and contributions that we channel to MSMEs [micro, small and medium-sized enterprises], farmers, and vulnerable communities are aimed at making them resilient in facing crises. MSMEs are the backbone of the economy, and farmers are the pillars of our food security. We must support both of them together for our own sustainable future,” said Nuni Sutyoko, HSBC Indonesia Head of Corporate Sustainability.
Coinciding with the HSBC Sustainability Online Discussion "Building Resilient Communities" held on Dec 15, 2020, HSBC Indonesia President Director François de Maricourt handed over further community assistance through Rumah Zakat and Wahana Visi Indonesia. Also attending were cooperatives and SMEs minister Teten Masduki and Deputy Chairman of the National Economic Recovery Task Force, Bambang Widianto.
“It is important for us to build synergies between the government, community aggregators such as Wahana Visi Indonesia and Rumah Zakat as well as the private sector such as HSBC Indonesia. This will ultimately help MSME players and farmers develop and help build community resilience in this country,” said de Maricourt.
Anies Reduces Building Permit Process
Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan has announced significant reductions to the duration of construction permit issuance. Previously it would require 360 days to acquire a permit for a commercial project, but with the new regulation it requires only 57 days and 14 days for residential building permits.
Executive Director of the Jakarta Property Institute (JPI), Wendy Haryanto, said this will attract investment into the property sector, provide greater convenience for businesses, and give non-financial stimulus to ensure the property industry survives the pandemic.
Related link:
Check Floods In Real-Time!
Real-time updates on the widespread flooding across Indonesia can now be found through petabencana.id, a site dedicated to providing insights into the condition of flood-prone locations. The information is sourced from the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), along with direct community flood reports. For those residing in Java, Google Maps has also released a feature called Java Floods, which keeps track of road closures due to flooding.
Related links:
- https://www.cnnindonesia.com/teknologi/20210208130703-199-603628/cara-melihat-lokasi-banjir-pulau-jawa-sebelum-bepergian
- https://petabencana.id/
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
We Still Need Your Support to Shelter the Front Line
AmCham Indonesia and Habitat for Humanity have joined forces in an initiative called Sheltering Those Who Care for Us, a program to provide temporary quarters in hotels for Indonesian medical workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our program has helped not only medical workers in Jakarta, but also Tangerang and Surabaya; we are now planning to expand to Sulawesi.
With the COVID-19 pandemic still spreading, medical workers are working a lot harder than before. In these difficult times, they often cannot go back home for fear of infecting family members or being rejected by their local communities. As a result, they are forced to sleep in hospitals without a proper bed, also increasing the possibility of getting infected.
By donating, we will increase the overall capability of Indonesia to treat COVID-19. Habitat will match individual hospitals with hotels on an as-needed basis.
Your support is needed more than ever.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE FLYER ON HOW TO DONATE
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!
AmCham Office and Events
 |
The AmCham Office is on 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.
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.
