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Tourism and Creative Economy Minister, Sandiaga Uno, speaking to a tourism entrepreneur in Batam city on March 20, 2021. (ANTARA/ Naim)

Indonesia’s Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry is targeting to vaccinate 30 thousand tourism entrepreneurs against COVID-19 in Batam and Bintan Islands, Riau Islands province.

Prior to the opening of the travel corridor with Singapore in April this year, all of them should be inoculated, Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno said in Batam on Saturday.

"As the first step towards the recovery of the tourism sector in Batam and Bintan, we have targeted to vaccinate some 3,500 of them (entrepreneurs) today," he informed.

A successful vaccination program would strengthen both domestic and foreign travelers' trust in the safety and comfortability of the two islands' tourism industry, he remarked.

Uno urged those who have received the COVID-19 jabs to continue to abide by the government's health protocols to prevent any potential coronavirus transmission.

At Saturday’s vaccine event, a tourism entrepreneur named Mariani thanked the government for arranging a COVID-19 vaccination program for her and her colleagues.

Mariani said she did not have any complaint after receiving the first shot.Meanwhile, head of Batam city's health office, Didi Kusmarjadi, said he has set a target of inoculating 1,900 tourism players in the city by March 22 this year.

At least 50 medical workers have been roped in to vaccinate tourism entrepreneurs in the city, which shares a sea border with Singapore, he informed.

Indonesia has been striving to win the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic since the government officially announced the country's first confirmed cases on March 2, 2020.

The government has rolled out a nationwide vaccination program this year to arrest the spread of infections.

According to the Health Ministry, it would take 15 months to vaccinate around 181.5 million people under the national program.

Indonesia's COVID-19 infection rate crossed one million cases on January 26, 2021.

To attain herd immunity and free the nation from the clutches of the pandemic, Vice President Ma'ruf Amin has stressed on the need for successfully administering the COVID-19 vaccine to the targeted population.

The outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease has dragged Indonesia into serious public health and economic crises.

Tourism has been among the severely-affected economic sectors in the country//ANT

Halim Perdanakusuma's operations halted after plane veers off runway - Tribun

Flight operations at the Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in East Jakarta were closed temporarily after a plane of Trigana Air went off the runway on Saturday, the airport authority stated.

The temporary closure was based on notice to airmen (NOTAM) No. A0693/21 that state-owned air navigation firm AirNav Indonesia had issued shortly after the incident.

The cargo plane skidded off the runway while returning to base two minutes after taking off from Halim Perdanakusuma during its flight to Makassar in South Sulawesi Province.

The Boeing 737-500's pilot decided to return to base owing to a technical glitch, AirNav Indonesia spokesman Yohanes Harry Douglas Sirait noted.

"Shortly after landing, the aircraft, bearing registration number PK-YSF, skidded off the runway toward the right side, thereby resulting in it blocking the runway," he stated.To avoid flight disruption, AirNav Indonesia's air traffic controllers had worked with their counterparts from the Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base, Sirait revealed.

Meanwhile, the Halim Perdanakusuma airport authority confirmed that four people boarding this ill-fated cargo plane, including two pilots and a technician, are all safe.

"We are closely coordinating with related stakeholders in handling the plane," spokesman of state-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II Yado Yarismano remarked.

Five Batik Air flights and two Citilink flights were diverted to the Soekarno Hatta International Airport owing to the incident, Yarismano noted in a press statement.

On March 6, 2021, the Batik Air flight ID-6803 also returned to base at the Sulthan Thaha Airport's runway in Jambi Province.The aircraft, with 117 passengers and six crew members aboard, took off from Jambi for the Soekarno Hatta International Airport on March 6 at 1:28 p.m. local time.

However, shortly after departure, the pilot decided to "return to base" at around 1:51 p.m. local time after encountering issues related to the aircraft's nose gear.

After landing safely, the Batik Air Flight ID-6803 came to a halt at a position on the Sulthan Thaha Airport's runway.

All passengers and crew members of the Airbus A320-200, bearing registration number PK-LUT, safely disembarked.Fortunately, the aircraft could have been towed from the runway on March 7 at 6:35 a.m. local time, so that flights from the Jambi City-based airport could resume normally//ANT

A cruise ship docked at Sabang port's pier in 2019. (ANTARA/HO-Humas Pemko Sabang)

The Sabang Free Trade Zone and Port Management Body (BPKS) has outlined a target of clocking at least 12 international cruise ship arrivals this year.

To this end, the BPKS authority has maintained steady coordination with the city government to address issues pertaining to permits for cruise ships to dock, BPKS Head Iskandar Zulkarnain remarked.

"The cruise ships will be allowed to dock at Sabang on the basis of the Sabang mayor's letter," Zulkarnain noted in a statement that ANTARA quoted here, Saturday.

The Sabang city administration awaits the Indonesian government's permits for the cruise ships to dock at this Aceh Province's coastal city.Assistant for the Sabang city government's economic and development affairs, Kamaruddin, remarked that reopening the city for cruise ships relies on the government's permits.

"We just refer to the central government's standard operating procedures. If the permit is issued, we open Sabang (for the cruise ships)," he explained.

Kamaruddin affirmed that endeavors to usher in economy recovery for the people should also be an indispensable part of the efforts to handle the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Indonesia.

In the early days of this coronavirus pandemic last year, the Sabang city administration had enforced stringent travel restrictions on non-residents to enter the city.

As a precautionary measure to contain the spread of this lethal virus, the Sabang authority had mandated visitors to present free COVID-19 health certificates and placed a temporary ban on cruise ships."Alhamdulillah (Thank God), these prevention efforts help reduce the city's infection rate. Since October 2020, it has no longer had new confirmed cases," he stated.

Taking into account this improving condition, Kamaruddin asserted that Sabang was a safe place for domestic and international travelers.

Since November 2020, the Sabang city government has also allowed unconditional entry to travelers keen on visiting the coastal city by land.

"We have no longer closed Sabang for locals and foreign tourists. However, they must, of course, abide by the government's health protocols," he stated.

In facilitating the recovery of the city's tourism sector, Kamaruddin has appealed to the BPKS authority to lobby related authorities to help reopen Sabang for international cruise ships.

"Health protocols must strictly be put in place. If tourists abide by the COVID-19 preventive measures, they are welcome," he asserted.Arrival of tourists, including those aboard the cruise ships, would also help boost the city's economic growth, he pointed out.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sabang was one of the popular tourist destinations on Sumatra Island among domestic and foreign visitors as well as international sailors.

Located on Weh Island, Sabang has been frequented by tourists, including those aboard international cruise ships and yachts.

This coastal city is not merely renowned for its sandy beaches and underwater beauty, with abundant snorkeling and diving spots, but is also well-known for its well-protected forest and the "kilometer-zero" monument representing Indonesia's starting point//ANT

Farmers are harvesting in the rice fields of Pabean Udik village of Indramayu in West Java on Saturday (3/20/2021). The Ministry of Agriculture asks Perum Bulog to absorb farmers' unhulled rice maximally in the middle of the harvest period March to April 2021 to maintain the stability of grain prices at the farmer level. ANTARA FOTO/Dedhez Anggara/hp.

The Agriculture Ministry has continually increased food production to fulfill the people's requirements by maintaining the production of several agricultural commodities while sustaining the welfare of farmers by stabilizing selling prices.

"We remain committed to maintaining the production and welfare of farmers. Even during this harvest season, we actively participate in maintaining the selling price of the farmers' unhulled rice. We must safeguard their happiness during harvest," Head of the Public Relations and Public Information Bureau of the Agriculture Ministry Kuntoro Boga Andri noted in a written statement received here on Saturday.

Andri remarked that the task of maintaining production and boosting the economy of farmers aligned with the mandate of the law. The ministry’s efforts to maintain production encompass the formation of an Integrated Team for the Farmer's Grain Absorption Movement.The agriculture minister has issued a Letter of the Agriculture Minister Number 28/TP.100/M/03/2021, with a team comprising the Agriculture Ministry, ranks of the National Logistics Agency (Bulog), Agriculture Service, Food Security Service, Industry and Trade Service, Military Command, Police, Association of Rice and Rice Milling Entrepreneurs (Perpadi), as well as Rice Milling Strategy Command (Kostraling).

"The team is striving to absorb production by buying unhulled rice at the farm level in accordance with the cost of goods sold. That is what we want to confirm," he expounded.

Results of the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) area sample frame survey indicate that the potential area for rice harvest during the January-April 2021 period reached 4.86 million hectares, an increase of around 1.02 million hectares, or 26.53 percent, as compared to the January-April 2020 period during which it had reached 3.84 million hectares. The increase was due to the harvest season at the start of the year, particularly in several areas that continued to show a positive trend."The minister has also sent a letter to the head of BULOG to accelerate the absorption of the farmers’ grains. We are optimistic of the price not dropping, and the farmers being able to reap the benefits of the harvest. This is a concrete step by the government," Andri stated.

Currently, agricultural production is sufficient in line with the massive development of agricultural infrastructure, mechanization and utilization of mechanization technology, as well as other endeavors//ANT