Only 5 Provinces Fulfil WHO Testing Standards
The World Health Organization (WHO) said only five provinces in Indonesia have met its Covid-19 testing standards: Jakarta, Yogyakarta, West Sumatra, West Papua, and Riau. The five exceeded the WHO standard of 1:1,000 people tested weekly for the past three weeks. However, they still have a high rate of transmission, with positivity rates above 5 percent.
WHO also said health workers in 16 provinces have not yet received the vaccination: Aceh, Papua, West Papua, Maluku, Central Sulawesi, South Sulawesi, North Sumatera, West Sulawesi, Jambi, Bengkulu, North Maluku, Gorontalo, North Kalimantan, West Nusa Tenggara, Southeast Sulawesi and Lampung.
Related link:
Positive Cases Second Highest in the World, Jakarta Red Zones Increase
Indonesia recorded 38,124 new daily Covid-19 cases today, July 9, having yesterday overtaken India for the second-highest number of new daily cases in the world behind Brazil at 38,391.
The total number of positive cases has reached 2,455,192 since the pandemic began, and there were 871 new deaths today, a rise from 852 yesterday for a total of 64,631.
Meanwhile, the number of Covid-19 high-risk red zones in Jakarta has skyrocketed, reaching 324 neighborhoods for the period July 5-11. This is a massive increase from 55 zones recorded at corona.jakarta.go.id for the previous week. The majority are in Central Jakarta with 149, followed by South Jakarta (62), West Jakarta (53), North Jakarta (38), East Jakarta (19), and Kepulauan Seribu with only three.
Related links:
- https://www.cnnindonesia.com/nasional/20210709142528-20-665475/kasus-sembuh-pecah-rekor-positif-covid-harian-masih-38-ribu
- https://www.cnnindonesia.com/internasional/20210709065706-106-665281/salip-india-kasus-harian-covid-19-indonesia-nomor-2-di-dunia
- https://www.cnnindonesia.com/nasional/20210707223508-20-664707/melonjak-zona-merah-di-jakarta-jadi-324-rt
Foreign Ministry Clarifies Foreigner Entry and Domestic Travel Requirements
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has released Circular Letter D/01363/07/2021/64, which clarifies the Covid-19 Task Force Addendum on Circular Letter 8/2021 on international travel. The letter says proof of vaccination is mandatory for foreigners entering Indonesia, but optional for foreigners departing Indonesia directly (without additional domestic travel). Those who cannot be vaccinated due to medical reasons are required to provide a medical statement. Foreigners aged below 12 who will be entering Indonesia with their parents are exempted from requirements to show proof of vaccination.
Unvaccinated foreigners traveling domestically to transit to an international flight out of Indonesia do not need to show proof of vaccination, as long as they do not leave the airport area while waiting for their international flight. They must also receive clearance from their local port health office/authority to travel domestically to continue their flights. They must also show a valid flight itinerary showing that the connecting flights between their city of departure and their international destination will be in the same aircraft (direct transit).
MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS CIRCULAR LETTER
Government to Monitor Social Assistance Distribution
Coordinating Minister of Human Development and Cultural Affairs (PMK) Muhadjir Effendy is to form a joint team to monitor the distribution of social assistance funds at central and regional levels. This will include funds distributed from the Ministry of Social Affairs (Kemensos); village funds direct cash assistance (BLT Dana Desa) from the Ministry of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration (Kemendes PDTT); and local governments.
The government has also rectified integrated social welfare data (DTKS) to improve funding distribution and prevent fraud. Effendy emphasized local governments have been requested to initiate social assistance programs using the regional budget (APBD) to reach civilians who are not recorded in the DTKS, and essential goods are preferred instead of cash funds.
Related link:
Emergency PPKM Expanded to 15 New Areas
The government has officially expanded the implementation of emergency PPKM (PPKM Darurat) to 15 areas outside of Java and Bali, due to demands from various parties, including the Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI). The head of the Covid-19 Task Force, Zubairi Djoerban, said the expansion was due to the continuing increase of Covid-19 cases; implementation in the new areas is to start on July 12.
Related link:
AmCham Cares: Heinz ABC Indonesia
Heinz ABC Indonesia (Heinz ABC) has distributed aid to 110,000 Indonesian families affected by natural disasters through the ABC Berbagi Kebersamaan Ramadan movement.
Heinz ABC launched the social movement to assist families impacted by natural disasters.
"Ramadan is the ideal time for us to share, particularly with Indonesian families affected by natural disasters. We were able to collect donations for 110,000 Indonesian families affected by natural disasters through the ABC Berbagi Kebersamaan Ramadan, which we began on April 1. We distributed these donations in the form of ABC food and beverages products, which are distributed by Foodbank of Indonesia in 15 locations throughout Java - Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, Bekasi, Karawang, Sumedang, Pandeglang, Yogyakarta, Lumajang, Probolinggo, Surabaya, Pasuruan, Jombang and Malang,” said Steven Debrabandere, President Director of Heinz ABC Indonesia.
The ABC Berbagi Kebersamaan Ramadan movement was carried out with the assistance of community members who purchased ABC products at Alfamart and Alfamidi.
Abbott Testing Kits Available with Quicker Results
Abbott healthcare has been present for more than 40 years in Indonesia and is one of the industry leaders in producing Covid-19 testing kits. Abbott’s Panbio Antigen Nasal rapid test is the only Nasal Antigen rapid test that is accepted on the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Emergency Use List. It also has 98.1 percent sensitivity (positive accuracy) and 99.8 percent specificity (negative accuracy) compared to Nasal PCR, and it takes only 15 minutes to get the result.
Abbott’s other Covid-19 testing kit is ID NOW, a rapid molecular test – isothermal nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) – that offers similar accuracy to a PCR test, but with quicker results. This technology, which is categorized as another form of molecular test like the reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT PCR), is accepted at the airport as your travel document.
Indonesia Receives Assistance from Singapore
Medical supplies and equipment from the Singapore government arrived in Indonesia today, July 9. Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the first shipment consists of oxygen cylinders; oxygen concentrators; ventilators; and personal protective equipment such as surgical masks, N95 masks, gloves, and gowns.
Singapore’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan, handed over the assistance to the Indonesian Ambassador to Singapore Suryo Pratomo at Paya Lebar Air Base. The Singapore navy will deliver the second batch of supplies.
Related link:
Get Katadata and Stay Updated on News and Trends
In this fast-paced world, it is often hard to stay informed on the latest political issues and business trends that may affect our lives. This is why Katadata’s D-insights provides the information we need on a daily basis, plus weekly and quarterly reports that summarize the trends and give background on the business, politics, markets, and energy.
Katadata D-insights offers a special rate for all AmCham members. The subscription for D-Insights are as follows:
Individual Subscriber:
Visit the link https://dinsights.katadata.co.id/account/subscribe for more details. Use the code "AMCHAM1" to get a special price for AmCham Members
Corporate Subscriber:
Up to four users with a special price at Rp 40,000,000 annually. Send names, emails, and quote “AMCHAM2” to [email protected]
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!
 |
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 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.
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
