Return of Large-Scale Activities, With Health Protocols
Large-scale public activities are to return, but with several precautionary measures, under Covid-19 Task Force Circular Letter 20/2022 on Health Protocols for the Implementation of Large-Scale Activities during the Covid-19 Pandemic, signed June 21.
In the circular, large-scale activity is defined as a series of activities in international or national-scaled events that can physically invite more than a thousand people at a certain time and at the same location and/or involve country representatives. The implementation of strict health protocols in large-scale activities will be implemented to monitor, control, and evaluate the transmission of Covid-19.
Provisions include:
- To enter large-scale events, participants must be vaccinated according to their age category and disease history. Those aged 6-17 must have had their second dose, those 18 years old and above must have had their booster, and those below 6 or who cannot receive the Covid-19 vaccine are advised not to participate
- Specific screening protocols to be implemented according to the type of participants involved
- Event organizers are required to obtain recommendations for the feasibility of implementing health protocols from the Covid-19 Task Force, and a permit for crowd activities from the police.
Related link:
| CLICK HERE FOR COVID-19 TASK FORCE CIRCULAR LETTER NO 20/2022 |
Call For Return of Masks Outdoors as Cases Rise
The Executive Board of the Indonesian Medical Association (PB IDI) has issued a recommendation for the government to re-impose the obligation to wear masks outdoors/in open areas after new daily Covid-19 cases topped 1,000 for six consecutive days. Representative of IDI’s Covid-19 Task Force Erlina Burhan said it is urging the government to continuing to educate the public as many people are disregarding health protocols. The association also recommended the government require PCR test for travelling, increase the coverage of booster and child vaccinations, and ramp up tracing and testing.
Related links:
- https://www.cnnindonesia.com/nasional/20220621111549-20-811554/idi-dorong-pemerintah-wajibkan-warga-pakai-masker-di-ruang-terbuka
- https://www.kompas.tv/article/301330/idi-rekomendasikan-pemerintah-kembali-berlakukan-tes-pcr-sebagai-syarat-perjalanan
Indonesia's 5 Health Targets During G20 Presidency
Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin has announced Indonesia’s five targets in the health sector during its G20 presidency. The first target is to establish a financial intermediary fund as a reserve fund to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic, and the second is to also use these funds to support countries in need during future pandemics. The third is the integration of the lab genome sequence to identify new viruses and bacteria, and the fourth is to harmonize travel standards such as vaccine certificates and testing requirements. The final target is to ensure the standardization of vaccine development using the most current technology. Budi said further discussions regarding the finalization of the five targets will be held at the next Ministry of Health meeting in October.
Related link:
Bank Indonesia to Hold Rates in June, Hike Expected in July: Poll
Bank Indonesia (BI) will maintain its benchmark 7-day reverse repo interest rate at 3.50 percent this month, according to a majority of economists in a Reuters poll, but over a quarter expect a rate increase to combat imported inflation brought on by the weak rupiah as the US Federal Reserve tightens its monetary policy.
With inflation remaining within its target range of 2-4 percent, BI has not raised rates during the pandemic. The rupiah, however, experienced its worst weekly performance in almost three years as a result of a 75 basis point rise of the Fed rate increase last week and the possibility of additional aggressive actions in the months to come. Senior Economist Radhika Rao said BI’s policy dashboard will broaden and include financial stability and outflow risks to anticipate the start of a hiking cycle from July. However, others expect BI to follow its Asian counterparts and raise rates by 25 basis points to 3.75 percent.
Related link:
AmCham Cares: Oracle
As Oracle’s global philanthropic educational program, Oracle Academy advances computing education around the world to increase knowledge, innovation, skills development, and diversity in technology fields. Available free of charge, the program engages with thousands of educational institutions and educators in more than 130 countries, working with public and private partners in regions and countries to provide the tools and training educators need.
In Asia Pacific, the Oracle Academy program works with more than 4,500 education institutions and over 10,000 educators in 23 countries to prepare millions of students for the rigors of both college and career.
In Indonesia, 2,000-plus member institutions access Oracle Academy resources and benefit from these programs, collaborating with institutions such as the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology (MoECRT); the Association of Higher Education in Informatics and Computers (APTIKOM); the Association of Informatics Department – Muhammadiyah and Aisyiyah Higher Education (APSI PTMA); ONE Indonesia; and the Ministry of Communications and Informatics (MCI).
The MCI partnership supports Oracle's Digital Talent Scholarship, Fresh Graduate (DTS FGA) program to provide university graduates and final year students with career-ready technology skills to improve employability and create a balanced triple helix ecosystem of education, industry, and government. Oracle Academy recently signed an agreement with MCI to train 1,200 educators and 15,000 students over the next four years. The collaboration provides a platform for more than 100 higher education institutes in the country.
Oracle also supports the MoECRT Professional Development and Upskilling and Reskilling Program to help vocational educators develop core computing knowledge and skills to share the latest technologies with their students.
Together with its partners, Oracle promotes computing education to engage, inspire and prepare students to become innovators and leaders of the future.
Low Economic Growth Affecting Job Creation
Indonesia’s low quality economic growth is a major challenge to the economy, especially in providing jobs to the population, according to Secretary-General of the Ministry of Manpower Anwar Sanusi. Statistics Indonesia (BPS) reported the open unemployment rate (TPT) as of February 2022 was 5.83 percent, and although it is lower than February 2021, it still has not reached a healthy rate. Anwar said he hoped all related stakeholders can contribute in pushing Indonesia’s economic growth to provide more jobs, and that the Ministry will play its role in consolidating accurate information on the job market supply to match industry needs.
Related link:
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.
