Published using Google Docs
COVID-19 Report: Indonesia
Updated automatically every 5 minutes

The Trend, Impacts, and Post-COVID19 Challenges: Republic of Indonesia

Graduate School of Public Administration
Asia Regional Information Center, Asia Center

Seoul National University

Contributor:

Kilkon Ko (kilkon@gmail.com), Professor, GSPA, SNU

Marcel Angwyn (marcel2019@snu.ac.kr), Teaching and Research Assistant, Faculty of Administrative Sciences, Universitas Indonesia

This work is sponsored by the Asia Regional Information Center, SNU Asia Center

Introduction

The Trend of COVID-19

Figure The Trend of Total Confirmed Cases

Figure The Trend of New Cases

Figure The Trend of Active Cases

Figure The Trend of Fatality Rate

Controlling COVID-19 by Different Actors

The first policy by President Joko Widodo, was forming a fast-response team led by National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) head, Doni Monardo, to handle efforts to prevent wider contagion of the fast-spreading coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The team was formed on 4 March 2020, and under the coordination of the BNPB, the Health Ministry, the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police, the team was tasked with spearheading measures to trace the movement of COVID-19 patients and those who had come in contact with them.

The second policy was announced on 8 March  2020. The policy was related to suspension of entry or travel into Indonesia, which are divided into 4 steps. First, to suspend entry or transit in Indonesia to incoming visitors/travelers who have traveled to certain cities/regions in the last 14 days of the declared date. Cities/regions such as Iran (City of Tehran and Qom as well as the Province of Gilan), Italy (Region of Lombardi, Veneto, Emilia Romagna, Marche, and Piedmont) and also South Korea (City of Daegu and Province of Gyeongsangbuk-do). Furthermore, the second, for all visitors/travelers from outside the aforementioned areas in Iran, Italy, and South Korea, a health certificate issued by the official Health Authorities from each respective country will be required upon entry to Indonesia. The Health Certificate must still be valid and shown to the airlines authorities upon check-ins. ​Without a certificate from the Health Authority, the said visitors/travelers will not be permitted to enter or transit to Indonesia. Third, prior to landing, visitors/travelers arriving from the three said countries are required to complete a Health Alert Card (or Kartu Kewaspadaan Kesehatan in Indonesian Language) issued by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia. Fourth, for Indonesian nationals who have recently traveled to one of the abovementioned countries, especially in the said regions, an additional health examination is required upon arrival at the airport.

After securing the perimeter of Indonesia, the next policy is quarantine for the infected patient. Several public hospitals are selected to handle the coronavirus patient specifically. As of 22 April 22, 2020, there are 132 public hospitals that are selected as the center for nursing the coronavirus patient. The 132 public hospitals are distributed in all islands of Indonesia, with 43 of them are heavily concentrated on Java Island (since Java Island is the most dense, populated island compared with other islands). For coronavirus patients, all of the medication expenses are free and paid by the Government.

Since most of the infected patients are now under quarantine, the next step that is taken by the President is early detection with rapid tests. As of April 14 2020, under direct supervision of the Minister of Health of Republic of Indonesia, 800.000 rapid tests equipment have been distributed into most areas of Indonesia. In order to protect the medical officers who conduct the rapid test all over Indonesia, 725.000 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), 13.000.000 surgery masks, and 150.000 N95 masks are also distributed. However, Indonesia is still considered as one of the worst in testing the potential case of coronavirus. Only 36 in every million people are being tested for the coronavirus in Indonesia, making Indonesia the fourth worst in testing rate among countries with a 50 million population or above, pandemic data site Worldometer has revealed.

At the local level, Governors of Republic of Indonesia also implement a partial lockdown policy. The main capital of Indonesia, Jakarta, has declared Large Scale Social Restriction (abbreviated as PSBB in Indonesian Language) to deter the infection of coronavirus.The governor told a press conference on 7 April 2020, that the city had already implemented large-scale social distancing policies but they had now become legally binding to all residents following the ministry’s decision to approve Jakarta’s PSBB status. Starting on 10 April 2020, the PSBB was immediately effective, as follows: (1) All workplaces will be closed, and authorities have advised employees to work from home. The restrictions will not apply to workers in eight essential sectors including health, food, energy, and finance, (2) Religious activities must be conducted at home with only immediate family members, instead of at places of worship, (3) Nonessential businesses such as bars, spas, and cinemas will be closed, and public transportation will be limited (operational only from 6am to 6pm), (4) Gatherings of more than five people are also prohibited, (5) Social and cultural events, including weddings, have been banned, and (6) Police patrols will also be increased to ensure compliance with the restrictions. Several of Jakarta's satellite municipalities and regencies and other population centers including Bekasi, Bogor, Depok, Pekanbaru, and Tangerang have implemented similar measures. The PSBB is still active, and per 22 April 2020, the Governor of Jakarta declared that the PSBB will be prolonged until 22 May 2020.

Impacts and Challenges of COVID-19

Limiting movement and early detection has become a prioritized policy in Indonesia. However, there are several upcoming issues that resulted from PSBB, that also needed to be handled by the Government of Indonesia. Issues, such as economic growth and Ramadan celebration.

According to Asia Development Bank (ADB), Indonesia’s economy is expected to grow by 2.5% in 2020 amid the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, down from 5.0% in 2019. “Despite Indonesia’s strong macroeconomic fundamentals, the COVID-19 outbreak has changed the course of the economy, with the external environment deteriorating and domestic demand weakening,” said ADB’s Country Director for Indonesia Winfried Wicklein. “If decisive actions to contain the health and economic impacts of the outbreak, particularly to safeguard the poor and vulnerable, can be effectively implemented, the economy is expected to gradually return to its growth trajectory next year.” Because PSBB limits the movement of Indonesian people, the private sector, especially those that are relying on daily sales, are having declining profit. To reduce the fall of Indonesian economic growth, The government and financial authorities have deployed well-coordinated, targeted fiscal and monetary measures to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy and people’s livelihoods. These measures include timely disbursement of social transfers for the poor and vulnerable, as well as tax cuts and loan-payment relief for workers and businesses. However, the effectiveness of the measures taken are still in question.

On the other hand, Ramadan, one of the biggest religious celebrations for Moslem society will start on 25 April 2020. For 30 days (also called the holy month) the moslems will conduct fasting, from sunrise to sunset to celebrate the holy month. Moslems are allowed to have a pre-fast meal or commonly known as Sahur and the fast breaking dinner also known as Iftar. Commonly, after having Iftar, the moslems do the evening prayer of Taraweeh in Mosque together. By celebrating Ramadan, there are chances that the immune system will be weakened and chance of infection will be higher than usual. After the holy month ended, the Moslems will celebrate Eid al-Fitr, where they usually return to their hometown to celebrate their victory in overcoming challenges from Ramadan. With Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr are incoming, the possibility of coronavirus spread is even higher.

Regarding the issue, The Ministry of Religious Affairs issued guidelines in April 2020 for prayers during the fasting month and for Eid al-Fitr 1441 Hijri amid the pandemic. Worshippers are advised to have Sahur and Iftar individually or with family. Taraweeh, Quran recital, or any kind of prayers should also be performed at home. Furthermore, Eid prayers at the end of the month which are commonly held in massive open spaces, mosques, or fields were canceled. Istiqlal Mosque public relation and protocol division head, Abu Hurairah, said the biggest mosque in southeast Asian is no longer open for service.

Though several precautionary measures have been taken to tackle the issue of economic growth and Ramadan, the effectiveness are still in question. More observations are needed, in order to preserve the safety of Indonesian people during the coronavirus outbreak. In the meantime, maintaining social distancing is the most effective approach to suppress the number of infections.

References

Anadolu Agency. 2020. COVID-19 Affecting Ramadan Traditions in Indonesia. https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/covid-19-affecting-ramadan-traditions-in-indonesia/1809592. Accessed on 22 April 2020.

 

Asian Development Bank. 2020. Indonesia’s Economic Growth to slow in 2020 on COVID-19 Impact, but Gradual Recovery Expected in 2021. https://www.adb.org/news/indonesia-s-economic-growth-slow-2020-covid-19-impact-gradual-recovery-expected-2021. Accessed on 22 April 2020.

 

Liputan 6 Indonesia. 2020. 800.000 Rapid Test Equipments are distributed to All Province of Indonesia. https://www.liputan6.com/health/read/4227602/800-ribu-alat-rapid-test-corona-didistribusikan-ke-seluruh-provinsi-di-indonesia. Accessed on 22 April 2020.

 

Ministry of Foreign Affair, Republic of Indonesia. 2020. Indonesian Government Policy on the Development of COVID-19 Outbreak. https://kemlu.go.id/osaka/en/news/5296/indonesian-government-policy-on-the-development-of-covid-19-outbreak. Accessed on 22 April 2020.  

 

The Jakarta Post. 2020. COVID-19, Jokowi Forms Fast Response Team to Contain The Virus. https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/03/13/covid-19-jokowi-forms-fast-response-team-to-contain-virus.html. Accessed on 22 April 2020.

 

The Jakarta Post. 2020. Indonesia Ranks among worlds worst in Coronavirus Testing Rate. https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/04/07/indonesia-ranks-among-worlds-worst-in-coronavirus-testing-rate.html. Accessed on 22 April 2020.

 

The Jakarta Post. 2020. COVID-19, Jakarta to Tighten Mobility Restrictions. https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/04/08/covid-19-jakarta-to-tighten-mobility-restrictions.html. Accessed on 22 April 2020

 

The Strait Times. 2020. Jakarta Extends Social Restrictions to May 22. https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/coronavirus-jakarta-extends-social-restrictions-to-may-22. Accessed on 22 April 2020.

 

San Antonio Express News. 2020. Indonesia Extends Patial Lockdown in Capital. https://www.expressnews.com/news/article/Indonesia-extends-partial-lockdown-in-capital-to-15217971.php . Accessed on April 2020.