VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Spectators attending the XX Papua National Sports Week (PON) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture, Muhadjir Effendy, has said.

"According to the regulation, spectators can only fill a maximum of 25 percent of the venue capacity. In addition, they must have received the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine,” he stated at a virtual press conference, accessed via the ministry's YouTube channel from here on Monday afternoon.

“Currently, the Health Ministry, along with the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, military, and police, is expediting vaccination coverage with a target of over 70 percent until the end of September 2021 in all host regions of XX Papua PON,” the minister noted.

Furthermore, the committee must anticipate the crowds at the opening ceremony as well as sports matches, he said.

During the press conference, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin urged all stakeholders to ensure that spectators watching the games live at the venue are in good health.

"We are coordinating to ensure the utilization of the PeduliLindungi app as well as manual health screening equipment that can make sure that the spectators are healthy and are not going to create a new COVID-19 cluster at the event," he said.

The ministry, the PON organizing committee, the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, and the Papua Health Office are coordinating this task, he informed.

Meanwhile, Secretary of the Youth and Sports Ministry Gatot S. Dewa Broto said that the move to restrict spectators by the committee is in keeping with the international standard on visitor arrangements.

"The opening of the XX Papua PON must be organized to avoid creating crowds. Our strategy is almost similar to the one implemented at the opening of the 2012 London Olympics," he said.

The committee will not only limit the number of spectators, but also the privileges of the participating athletes and officials, he said.

According to first deputy chairman of National Sports Committee, Major General (Retd.) Suwarno, the national sporting event began a few days ago although the official opening will take place on October 2, 2021.

"Currently, about 30 percent of the total participating athletes and officials have arrived in Papua," he informed.

The XX Papua PON organizing committee has urged all visitors to conduct self-isolation -- either in groups or independently, he said.

"Once arriving in Papua, an examination is carried out through the PeduliLindungi app as well as a COVID-19 swab antigen test before the visitors enter their lodgings," he disclosed.

Later, if any visitor feels unwell while participating in the event, a COVID-19 antigen or PCR test will be carried out, he said.

Should the result come out positive, the person will be treated at the isolation center provided by the committee, he added.

"The same protocols will be conducted while departing," he said.  (Antaranews)

Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno has said he expects the tourism sector to reduce economic inequality, in line with the 2021 World Tourism Day’s theme of "Tourism for Inclusive Growth".

“There has been a phenomenon amid the COVID-19 pandemic that the rich have become richer, while the poor have become poorer,” he remarked at the national coordination meeting of the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry here on Monday.

Furthermore, the tourism sector in Indonesia experienced a strong decline in the last two years as social restrictions were enforced due to the soaring number of COVID-19 cases, he noted.

Foreign tourist arrivals in Indonesia dived by 75 percent in 2021, he informed. Meanwhile, in the period from January to July 2021, the number fell up to 80 percent, he said.

The decline erased nearly two million jobs and posed serious economic challenges, he added.

"Hence, the right policies in terms of target, benefit, and time are needed for the tourism sector," the minister said.

He said he believes that there is still scope in the tourism and creative economy sectors to generate a lot of business and employment opportunities for Indonesian people in the midst of the pandemic.

Speaking on the theme for this year's commemoration of World Tourism Day, which falls on September 27 every year, he said inclusive growth must improve the condition of those who are experiencing various difficulties due to the pandemic, for instance, loss of livelihoods.

The commemoration of the World Tourism Day also aims to encourage the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to eliminate poverty, maintain environmental sustainability, ensure gender equality, provide decent work and improve economic growth, as well as reduce inequality, he added. (Antaranews)

The Communication and Informatics Ministry and the Mimika district government are coordinating the provision of work and refreshment facilities for reporters covering XX Papua National Sports Week (PON), an official has said.

"The equipment provided at the (Mimika) media center is quite complete to accommodate the needs of the journalists. The facility is managed by the Ministry's Communications and Informatics Office in Mimika district, as well as the public relations protocol bureau of the Mimika district Secretariat," deputy coordinator of the XX Papua PON media center for Mimika district, Indri Aprilia, told Antara here on Monday.

Meanwhile, project manager of the media center, Yuri Maulana, informed that the facility has workstations for 35-40 people and is equipped with 10 computers with an Internet connection speed of up to 300 megabytes per second (Mbps) and a color printer.

The workspace also features three large liquid-crystal display (LCD) screens that will show the latest information on match results, standings, as well as live broadcasts from the match arena, he said.

Moreover, the media center also has a press conference room, which can accommodate 20-30 people, and an interview corner, he added.

Meanwhile, regarding refreshments, the committee has prepared six free massage chairs as well as free beverages for all reporters, Maulana said.

"There are four meal times. The first one will be a coffee break at 10 a.m. Eastern Indonesia Standard Time (WIT) followed by lunch at 12 p.m. WIT. The second coffee break will take place at 3 p.m. WIT, while dinner will be at 6 p.m. WIT," the project manager said.

In addition, since XX Papua PON is being held in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the facility will apply strict health protocols, he added. A health room also has been prepared in case any visitors fall sick, he disclosed.

The media center will remain open from 9 a.m. WIT to 9 p.m. WIT every day during the XX Papua PON.

The XX Papua PON Mimika district cluster will host 12 sports comprising gliding, futsal, rock climbing, 5X5 basketball, skydiving, judo, billiards, aeromodelling, athletics, handball, 3X3 basketball, as well as tarung derajat—a Sundanese martial art. (Antaranews)

The number of new investors in the capital market increased by around 2.3 million during the pandemic, to bring the total to 6.1 million investors, the Financial Services Authority (OJK) has said.

"This is based on a single investor identification (SID) owned by investors," member of the OJK's board of commissioners for consumer education and protection, Tirta Segara, said during an online discussion originating from Jakarta on Monday.

He said the new investors in the capital market mostly belong to the millennial group, especially Generation X and Generation Y.

Therefore, the momentum of the high productive age participating in the capital market, as well as any economic activity, must be utilized to the maximum, he added.

According to Segara, the large share of the population in the productive age of 15-64 years in Indonesia has given rise to the belief that the nation will soon reach its golden age.

Millennial investors are playing a bigger role in the capital market, he said.

"Many young people who drive the unicorns develop rapidly," he added.

Currently, Indonesia is enjoying a demographic bonus, with a large number of productive residents, whether we realize it or not, he said.

Research by the World Bank and the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) estimates that Indonesia's dependency ratio will reach its lowest point of 46.9 percent in 2030, he noted.

"However, this demographic bonus will only be an advantage for Indonesia if it is supported by adequate quality human resources (HR)," he added. (Antaranews)