VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Indonesian government, through a resolution issued by the Ministry of Health, has officially enforced health protocols for the tourism and creative economy sector.

The health advice has been put together by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy and concerned stakeholders and ministries.

The health protocols for the sector have been ratified by the Health Minister's Resolution, Number HK.01.07/Menkes/382/2020, on Health Protocols for Communities in Public Places and Facilities in the Context of Prevention and Control of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

In a statement received here on Monday, deputy of strategic policy at the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, R Kurleni Ukar, said the health protocols for the tourism sector and creative economy have been compiled based on three main issues — cleanliness, health, and safety

The health minister’s resolution has laid down protocols for hotels, inns, homestays, hostels, and other accommodations, restaurants, smaller food joints and food services, tourist locations, modes of transportation, creative economy services, event/meeting organization services, as well as other relevant public places and facilities closely affiliated with the tourism sector and the creative economy.

The protocols can be used as a reference by ministries, institutions, provincial regional governments, district and city governments, and the community, including associations, managers, owners, and workers managing public places and facilities as well as visitors, said Kurleni Ukar.

The health protocols are expected to support the plan for gradually reactivating the tourism and creative economy sectors to revive businesses in the field, which have been hit the hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Decisions related to the reactivation, however, will need to be adjusted to the level of risk of COVID-19 spread and a region's ability to control the disease, Kurleni Ukar pointed out.

"Local governments as well as tourism and creative economy businesses are expected to prepare and implement health protocols in accordance with the decision signed by the Minister of Health," he said.

Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Wishnutama Kusubandio, lauded the approval of the health protocols for the tourism and creative economy sector.

The endorsement has come through a single channel, which is the Minister of Health, and that ensures the protocols are in harmony with those prescribed by other ministries and institutions, he noted.

"The health protocols have been officially released by the Ministry of Health so that they can become a common reference, and there are no ministries/institutions that issue them independently as it (their implementation) is coordinated," Wishnutama said.

The ministry had also prepared technical guidelines, both in the form of videos and handbooks, that refer to global standards.

The handbook is a more detailed derivative of the protocols signed by the Ministry of Health, which means, it will be easy for the tourism and the creative economy sector to carry out activities, the minister pointed out.

The promulgation of the protocols is an important aspect as tourism is a business that relies heavily on the confidence of domestic and international tourists, he said.

"Gaining trust or confidence (of tourists) is the key to accelerating recovery, so it must be highly considered and implemented," the minister added.

He underlined President Joko Widodo's message in which he said the protocols need to be implemented properly and gradually.

"So that, later on, when the tourism and creative economy sectors are reopened, they can be productive and (people) remain safe from COVID-19. That was a fundamental aspect of the President's directives," the minister said. (ANTARA)