VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

A screenshot of BPOM head Penny K Lukito (left) making a virtual statement to reporters in Jakarta, Friday (July 2, 2021). (ANTARA/Andi Firdaus) - 

Moderna vaccines, secured by Indonesia under the Covax facility, will require special storage technology, head of the National Agency of Drug and Food Control (BPOM), Penny K Lukito, has said.

"Because Moderna will be the first messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine to be received in Indonesia, it will require special storage technology, including during the distribution process," she explained during a virtual press conference originating from Jakarta on Friday.

The Moderna vaccines will certainly require different handling compared to other vaccines such as AstraZeneca, Sinovac, and Sinopharm, Lukito noted.

“(The) AstraZeneca (vaccine) is stored in a cold chain at a temperature of 2-8 degrees Celsius, but this time (for Moderna), the technology is slightly different," she informed.

Indonesia has obtained the vaccines produced by ModernaTX in the United States through the Covax facility, a multilateral channel for distributing COVID-19 vaccines globally, she said.

Lukito assured that the special storage technology and distribution guidelines for the vaccine will be shared with Indonesia once the vaccines arrive

"Because these vaccines will be received from Covax, they will provide the vaccines along with the storage and distribution technology," she said.

According to Lukito, Moderna’s mRNA vaccines would have to be stored in a cold chain storage room at a temperature of minus 20 degrees Celsius in special containers.

"This technology will come together with the vaccine. This is a new treatment. With Moderna in Indonesia, there will be more other vaccines, such as Pfizer, that will also come to Indonesia in the near future," she said//ANT

BLT disbursal for eight million beneficiaries - 

The Indonesian government is expediting the disbursal of village fund cash transfers (BLT) for eight million beneficiaries to support them during the implementation of emergency public activity restrictions (PPKM).

The distribution of village fund cash transfers will be critical during the emergency PPKM enforcement, particularly in the red zones with a high risk of COVID-19 transmission, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said.

“(The village fund cash transfers) will be disbursed to poor or underprivileged residents in the villages, with the amount of money Rp300 thousand per beneficiary group per month; so it is projected to reach eight million beneficiary groups, with the total budget of Rp28.8 trillion,” Indrawati informed during an online press conference, originating from here on Friday.

Village funds to the tune of Rp72 trillion will be prioritized for the village fund transfers to assist poor residents in villages hit hard by COVID-19, she said. As of July 1, 2021, the village fund disbursal had reached 38.1 percent, or Rp27.41 trillion, of the total allocation, she explained.

Meanwhile, the realization of village funds allocated for village fund cash transfers stood at just Rp5.05 trillion, or 15.5 percent, of the target, while the number of family beneficiaries (KPM) receiving the funds stood at 5.02 million, the minister disclosed.

“It means, of the village funds, there is still a very adequate budget since only five million (people) have received (the monetary assistance) and only Rp5 trillion that has been spent,” Indrawati highlighted.

Of the total beneficiaries, 49.2 percent, or 2.46 million, will be farm workers; 4.32 percent, or 216.05 thousand, will be merchants and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs); 3.31 percent, or 165.503 thousand, will be fishermen and fishing workers; 1.94 percent, or 96.99 thousand, will be factory workers; 0.9 percent, or 9.38 thousand, will be teachers; and, 31 percent, or 1.55 million, will belong to other groups, Indrawati informed.

To accelerate the disbursal of village fund cash transfers, the government will relax its receipt through beneficiary confirmation by reviewing poor residents in the villages based on beneficiary data collected in 2020 and allowing village committees the flexibility to add beneficiaries.

“The village fund cash transfers can also be disbursed on a quarterly basis and we will announce this new policy this month, so during the emergency PPKM, the public is able to receive the assistance on time,” Indrawati remarked//ANT

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati. ANTARA/HO-kemnkeu.go.id - 

The Indonesian Government has decided to expedite funding disbursement for the Family Hope Program (PKH) and Basic Food Card (Kartu Sembako) in early July in response to the enforcement of emergency micro-scale public activities restriction (PPKM).

"For this third quarter, we will accelerate the disbursement in July. Beneficiaries of the program will receive the funding for three months at once in July," Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati stated during a virtual press conference here on Friday.

Fund allocation for PKH in 2021 has reached Rp28.31 trillion. As of the second quarter of the year, Rp13.96 trillion was disbursed to the beneficiaries.

Of the total disbursement, Rp6.83 trillion went to 9.67 million beneficiaries in the first quarter and Rp7.3 trillion was distributed to 9.9 million beneficiaries in the second quarter.

"We hope to achieve the target of 10 million beneficiaries and different assistance index depending on the family composition," Sri Mulyani remarked.

Annual social assistance of Rp3 million is allocated for pregnant mothers and pre-school children, Rp900 thousand for elementary school children, Rp1.5 million for junior high school students, Rp2 million for senior high school students, and Rp2.4 million for disabled and senior citizens.

Meanwhile, funding allocation for the basic food card reaches Rp42.37 trillion in 2021, but as of June, only Rp17.75 trillion had been distributed to 15.9 million beneficiaries, out of the 18.8 million beneficiaries.

"Some three million beneficiaries have yet to receive the aid of Rp200 thousand per month," she noted.

The government has also extended the disbursement of Cash Social Assistance for two months to support people impacted by the imposition of the emergency micro PPKM.

Aid, totaling Rp11.94 trillion for 9.6 million beneficiaries, with each receiving Rp300 thousand per month, was initially solely offered for the January-April period.

The government has raised the budget for the aid by Rp6.1 trillion for the extension, targeting 10 million beneficiaries in 34 provinces, which will be disbursed at once in July, Sri Mulyani stated//ANT

An illustration of an investor candidate recording the data on the IHSG screen with a cellular phone at the Indonesia Stock Exchange (BEI), Jakarta. ANTARA FOTO/ Reno Esnir/foc/aa. (ANTARA/RENO ESNIR) - 

The Indonesia Composite Stock Exchange (IHSG) at the Indonesia Stock Exchange (BEI) on Friday morning strengthened prior to the emergency public activity restrictions (PPKM) being enforced by the government from July 3, 2021.

The IHSG opened 14.12 points, or 0.24 percent higher, to 6,020.07. Meanwhile, the group of 45 leading stocks, or the LQ45 index, climbed 4.01 points, or 0.47 percent, to 851.14.

“Ahead of the emergency PPKM enforcement, we projected the IHSG to show mixed movement during today’s trade,” the Samuel Security research team wrote here on Friday.

The government has decided to enforce emergency PPKM on July 3-20, 2021, in Java and Bali.

Worship houses, public facilities, and shopping centers will be temporarily closed. Operational hours and the capacity of shops or markets that sell items of daily need are limited. In addition, restaurants are not allowed to offer dine-in services.

As many as 24,836 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Indonesia on Thursday (July 1), a record tally during the pandemic. As of Friday, Indonesia registered a total of 2.2 million COVID-19 cases.

In terms of vaccination, as of Thursday (July 1), the first doses of vaccine were administered to 30.18 million people, or 16.6 percent of the target set at as many as 181.5 million people. Meanwhile, the second doses were given to 13.6 million people.

On the external front, the US stock exchange closed positive last night. Based on its data, unemployment claims fell to 364 thousand during early last week or fewer as compared to 415 thousand claims during the corresponding week that recorded the fewest number during the pandemic. Moreover, according to ISM Manufacturing data, the Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) fell to 60.6 by June, from 61.2 during the corresponding month.

The US’ non-agricultural employment data on June, trade balance on May, and unemployment level on June, will be released tonight, it stated.

In the Asian regional markets on Friday, the Nikkei Index soared 105.66 points, or 0.37 percent, to 28,812.7; Hang Seng Index plunged 330.25 points, or 1.15 percent, to 28,497.7; while the Straits Times Index rose 11.9 points, or 0.38 percent, to 3,136.09//ANT