VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita (central) accompanied by Director General of Chemical, Pharmacy and Textile (IKFT) Muhammad Khayam (left) and Director General of Resilience and Development of International Industrial Access (KPAII) Dody Widodo (2nd left) pay attention to the clothes of PT Daehan Global production in Brebes, Friday (May 29). (ANTARA/ Ministry of Industry PR Bureau)

The industry ministry is actively coordinating with local governments to monitor activities in the sector to keep the economy afloat whilst companies continue to abide by health protocols set amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Local governments play an important role in the prevention and control of COVID-19, including those around industrial companies or industrial areas," Director General of Resilience and Development of International Industrial Access (KPAII) of the Ministry, Dody Widodo, noted in a statement received by Antara News Agency in Jakarta, Monday.

Widodo highlighted the manufacturing sector’s preparedness to usher in a new normal era and move to facilitate national economic recovery. He added that the manufacturing sector had become one of the key economic growth drivers.

The Ministry of Industry pointed to the industrial sector still being the biggest contributor to the national gross domestic product (GDP), reaching 19.98 percent in the first quarter of 2020.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, related companies or industrial zones were required to obtain an Operational and Industrial Activity Mobility Permit (IOMKI) in order to operate. The procedure of operations was stipulated in Industry Ministry’s Circular No. 7 of 2020.

Widodo further noted that the Ministry of Industry had continued to coordinate with relevant stakeholders to ensure that the industrial sector can run in line with the application of health protocols. This collaboration encompasses ones with local governments.

"Some of the roles of regional governments include creation of a task force on supervision of permits for operational activities of industrial estates and tenants," he revealed.

To this end, every permit holder must have in place a COVID-19 prevention procedure and report on its implementation through the National Information and Industry System (SIINas) every weekend.

Furthermore, a monitoring team was formed for handling the permit implementation process as stipulated in Minister of Industry's Decree Number 649 of 2020. The monitoring team is tasked with coordinating with the local governments, verifying permit data and information, as well as reporting on the implementation measures.

Moreover, they are responsible for monitoring the implementation of IOMKI permits directly on field or electronically. They can also recommend the revocation of IOMKI to the Minister of Industry and assess the results of the implementation of IOMKI based on their monitoring results.

"The local government will support efforts to restore industrial activities during the current COVID-19 pandemic, and the Ministry of Industry will continue to coordinate with related parties pertaining to these efforts, including raising awareness on health protocols during the recovery period of industrial activities," he affirmed. (ANTARA)