VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

A screenshot of Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas delivering the results of a meeting on restrictions on community movement during the implementation of emergency PPKM on Friday (July 2, 2021). (ANTARA/Asep Firmansyah) - 

The successful implementation of emergency public activity restrictions (emergency PPKM) in Java and Bali requires citizen participation, Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas has said.

"So that efforts to handle the COVID-19 pandemic can run effectively and optimally. No matter how good and strict the rules are, if they do not involve community participation, they will be useless," the minister said in Jakarta on Friday.

Quoting President Joko Widodo, he said that the policies issued by the government are solely for the sake of protecting and maintaining the health and safety of the public.

So, the community must work hand in hand for the successful implementation of the emergency PPKM, he added.

One thing that can be done at the community level is following every recommendation issued by the government, he advised.

"This government's effort is solely to protect the public and maintain their health and safety," he reiterated.

Earlier, the Ministry of Religion had said it will regulate restrictions on religious activities during the implementation of emergency PPKM from July 3 to July 20, 2021 in Java and Bali, including the closure of places of worship such as mosques, churches, and temples.

"The Ministry of Religion has also prepared regulations to abolish worship in places of worship, such as mosques, churches, temples, and so on," Minister Qoumas said.

He said the Ministry of Religion will issue a circular to regulate worship during emergency PPKM as well as to reinforce its previous circular.

The ministry will not just prohibit religious activities in places of worship, but also regulate “takbiran”, which involves the chanting of the phrase ‘God is great’.

People will not be allowed to venture on the streets for "takbiran" in zones where emergency PPKM are being implemented, Quomas said. The government will also prohibit “takbiran” in mosques in such areas, he added.

During Eid al-Adha, the slaughter of sacrificial animals for Eid will need to be carried out in an open place, he said.

The person who performs the “qurban” (animal sacrifice) can witness the slaughtering process, he added.

Then, during the distribution process, the sacrificial meat will be given directly by the committees to those who are entitled to it at their respective homes, he said//ANT

A screenshot of representatives from several government institutions attending a virtual press conference on the preparations for the enforcement of emergency public activity restrictions (PPKM Darurat) during Eid al-Adha, on Friday (July 2, 2021). (ANTARA/Andi Firdaus) - 

As many as 53 thousand personnel from the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police (Polri) will be deployed to enforce emergency public activity restrictions ( emergency PPKM) across regions during Eid al-Adha this year.

"We have safe operation of Nusa II COVID-19. Of the seven task forces formed, we will deploy the police's community development (Binmas) task force to strengthen emergency PPKM at the village to sub-district levels," assistant operations (Asplops) to the National police chief, Inspector General of Police, Imam Sugianto, said at a virtual press conference originating from Jakarta on Friday.

The press conference was organized by the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture (Kemenko PMK).

The joint personnel will comprise more than 21 thousand members of the National Police and more than 32 thousand members of the TNI, Sugianto informed.

"Although this number is not significant, with the planned activities on the 12 targets set in the emergency PPKM, hopefully it can be effective and on target," he added.

The building of community discipline regarding health protocols and the implementation of COVID-19 vaccinations has been a focus of the police's community development (Binmas) task force, he pointed out.

Binmas personnel, along with the sub-precinct police (Polsek), will visit prayer rooms and mosques in remote areas and appeal to the public to follow the health protocols and regulations for the implementation of Eid al-Adha, in accordance with the provisions of the Ministry of Religion, Sugianto said.

"Police personnel will move by patrolling with the TNI and related parties to visit mosques in sub-districts located on outskirts to give appeals," he informed.

The initial strategy will be to raise awareness and educate the public regarding the provisions of emergency PPKM for the next week, he said.

"At least, in the next week, we will educate and appeal to the public by visiting mosque caretakers," he stated.

Sugianto reminded field personnel to prioritize persuasive methods while speaking to communities, especially during the Eid al-Adha worship//ANT

A screenshot of Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati addressing an online press conference from Jakarta on Friday. (ANTARA/Youtube Kemenkeu/pri) - 

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati has decided to increase the budget allocated to the health sector to Rp185.98 trillion from Rp172.84 trillion to support the enforcement of emergency public activity restrictions (PPKM).

The restrictions will be implemented from July 3 to July 20, 2021 to contain a recent surge in infections.

"The handling of health issue tops the list of priorities in the PEN (national economic recovery) program involving Rp172.84 trillion (the previous health budget ceiling). Given the present developments in the fields of therapeutic and diagnostic vaccination, budget needs for the handling of health issue will increase again to Rp185.98 trillion," Indrawati said at an online press conference in Jakarta on Friday.

The budget allocation for vaccinations has reached Rp58 trillion, while it stands at Rp69.1 trillion for treatments or therapeutics, comprising Rp40 trillion set aside for settling patient claims, Rp7.3 trillion for provision of incentives to the central government's healthcare workers, Rp8 trillion for provision of regional performance allowances (TKD), and Rp20.5 trillion for health taxation incentives, she said.

Meanwhile, Rp4.08 trillion has been spent on testing and tracing activities, Rp35.4 trillion for handling other health problems in regions, while Rp8.49 trillion has been allocated for other activities, including communication, national health insurance coverage, and activities of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), she added.

According to the minister, the government used 99 percent, or Rp14.53 trillion, of the budget ceiling to cover COVID-1 patient claims in 2020. The funds were used to settle 200,545 patient claims at 1,575 referral hospitals across Indonesia, she said.

"If you were among the 200,545 COVID-19 patients last year who were hospitalized and discharged for free, then it was the state budget that paid your hospital bills," Indrawati remarked.

As of June 24, 2021, the realization of payments has reached Rp10.5 trillion of the ceiling of Rp10.6 trillion, she said. The figure is projected to increase to Rp11.97 trillion in the second phase in 2021, she added.

The government has also paid Rp4.6 trillion for the provision of incentives and death compensation to healthcare workers in 2020, she informed. Since early 2021, the government has paid Rp1.34 trillion in arrears towards healthcare workers' incentives for 2020, she added//ANT

Bank Indonesia logo. (ANTARA/BI Documentation) - 

Bank Indonesia (BI) has said it is optimistic that credit will continue to grow in line with its previous projection of 5-7 percent for this year even amid emergency public activity restrictions (emergency PPKM).

"So far, we have not revised it yet. We still estimate that this year's credit projection is 5-7 percent,” assistant governor of Bank Indonesia (BI) and head of the bank's macroprudential policy department, Juda Agung, disclosed in Jakarta on Friday.

The central bank has not taken steps to revise the projected credit growth, he added.

However, he said he hoped that the implementation of the emergency PPKM would help control the spread of COVID-19.

“Hopefully, this PPKM will reduce the spread of COVID-19," he remarked.

Credit growth this year has begun to show positive signals, especially in the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) segment, where it has reached 1.7 percent, in line with the improvement in MSME business activities, Agung informed.\

There has been an improvement in credit growth in the MSME sub-segment, except for micro businesses, which have still contracted 22.76 percent, while small businesses have grown 13.32 percent and medium businesses have grown 8.58 percent, he said.

Meanwhile, in the real sector, growth in corporate sales performance is improving, so it is estimated to grow positively in the second quarter of 2021, he said adding, the surge in COVID-19 cases needs to be closely watched, however, as it could affect the recovery in corporate performance.

An improvement in corporate sales has been seen in the main sectors of industry, trade, construction, and agriculture, which are expected to improve significantly in the second quarter, Agung said.

The demand for household credit has increased, as seen from the household financing demand survey, which has recorded an increase in the demand for Home Ownership Credit (KPR) and Motor Vehicle Loans (KKB), he pointed out.

"This increase in demand is in line with improving corporate sales performance and labor market conditions," he said.

Mortgage growth s far above total credit growth, which has still contracted at 1.28 percent, which is 6.1 percent .

Mortgage growth has tracked property sales, which grew around 13 percent in the first quarter, especially for medium-sized houses.

"Medium-type houses have rebounded even more than 20 percent compared to the fourth quarter, which was still experiencing contractions," Agung said//ANT