The number of foreign tourists visiting Indonesia dropped sharply in March this year on account of several policies that were implemented to contain the COVID-19 outbreak, according to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS).

"In March 2020, the number of foreign tourists dropped dramatically. And now, the number is only 470,900. If we trace historical data, the number of foreign tourists is almost the same as in 2007," BPS head Suhariyanto said during a virtual press conference in Jakarta on Monday.

Compared with February 2020, there was a 45.5-percent drop in foreign tourist arrivals in March 2020. Compared to the year-ago period, there was a 64.11-percent decline in the number of tourists visiting the country, according to Suhariyanto.

There was a decline in foreign tourist arrivals at almost all the main airports, including at Bali's Ngurah Rai Airport (down 64.72 percent), at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta Airport (down 75 percent), and Kualanamu Airport Medan (down 64.11 percent), Suhariyanto informed.

“And, if we look at the number of foreign tourists (arriving) by sea, (it) also decreased. In Batam, (tourist arrivals) fell by 75 percent, in Tanjung Uban, (they) fell by 92 percent. Likewise for those who came by land, like in Atambua and Entikong," Suhariyanto noted.

Based on nationality, the sharpest decline was seen in the number of tourists arriving from China, which fell 97.46 percent, followed by Hong Kong (down 96 percent), and Kuwait (down 89 percent), according to the BPS.

Foreign tourist arrivals declined sharply "almost all over the country. And this can be realized because there have been Large-Scale Social Restrictions (PSBB), lockdowns in several countries, and flight stoppages”, Suhariyanto explained.

Thus, cumulatively, the total number of foreign tourists visiting Indonesia in January-March, 2020 reached 2.6 million. While in January 2020, the tourism situation was still normal, it began to decline in February 2020 through March 2020.

Compared to January-March 2019, the number of tourist arrivals registered a decrease of 30.62 percent in the first quarter of this year. (ANTARA)

Indonesia’s COVID-19 situation will likely improve in June and July if citizens uphold mutual cooperation and maintain strict discipline in the fight against the coronavirus, according to the government spokesperson for the COVID-19 task force.

"Insya Allah (with God's willing), in June and July, all things will get better than now," Achmad Yurianto told journalists during a virtual press conference from the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) office in Jakarta on Monday.

The spirit of "gotong royong”, or mutual cooperation, strict discipline, and persistence are indispensable in the fight against the new coronavirus outbreak because they will enable Indonesia to emerge out of the pandemic, he noted. As a result, the conditions in the nation will improve, he added.

To this end, communities across the country should remain united and work together to handle the disease, he remarked. "The spread of COVID-19 can be prevented with high discipline and the unbreakable spirit of 'gotong royong'," he said.

The novel coronavirus disease can infect anyone regardless of age, race, and profession, Yurianto pointed out, adding that everyone must remain cautious and disciplined to prevent themselves and others from contracting the disease.

He again called on community members to stay at home and refrain from returning to their hometowns during the Ramadhan and Idul Fitri holiday because homebound travel may expand contagion areas.

"We believe that with the spirit of 'gotong royong' and an integrated fight against the disease from central government to villages, neighborhoods, and families, we will be able to handle this well," Yurianto averred.

He also appealed to community members not to stigmatize and discriminate against COVID-19 patients who have fully recovered from the virus as well as doctors and paramedics on the frontlines of the fight against COVID-19.

In a recent statement, President Joko Widodo also highlighted the significance of fostering the spirit of "gotong royong" because the government cannot work single-handedly in fighting the spread of coronavirus infections.

The coronavirus outbreak initially struck the Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of 2019, and then spread to various parts of the world, including countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Indonesian Government officially announced the country's first confirmed cases on March 2, 2020.

Since then, the central and regional governments have made persistent efforts to flatten the coronavirus curve by imposing healthcare protocols and social restrictions.

To break the chain of coronavirus transmission, which has impacted the purchasing power of families across Indonesia, large-scale social restrictions have been enforced in several cities, including Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi.

The central government has also banned homebound travel, locally known as “mudik", during the fasting month of Ramadhan and the Idul Fitri holiday. (ANTARA)

Mining Advocacy Network coordinator, Merah Johansyah Ismail, on Sunday’s press conference suspects that the drafting of the much-debated work of an omnibus bill has been driven by the interests of coal and mineral corporations. Ismail claims that there are seven coal and mineral corporations that control 60-70 percent of Indonesia’s national coal production. According to him, the permits of three of the corporations are about to expire by the end of this year. He suspects that the coal and mineral corporations have interests in the cluster overseeing mining within the omnibus bill under Article 169A on automatic permit extension without having to undergo the process of handing back permits to the government and an auction. The coal and mineral Law (UU Minerba) controls this by requiring corporations to hand back the permits to the government as it expires. Coal corporations must also adjust their mining areas to the maximum extent overseen under the same law, which is 15,000 hectares//tempo

Producers of fresh food-producing milk, meat, and beef meatballs are starting to shift to the realm of digital business amid the COVID-19 pandemic that is encouraging people to use more e-commerce services. Commercial Director of PT Great Giant Livestock, Dayu Ariasintawati, in Jakarta on Sunday, said the company is one of the producers of fresh food that has turned to meet the needs of consumers through online services as well as wanting to prove that e-commerce is promising.Changing consumer patterns is a challenge, especially for fresh products such as meat, meatballs, and milk that do not use preservatives and must be stored frozen and chilled to keep them cool and in the best condition for consumers. This is a business challenge when a pandemic occurs.Therefore, he expands the business because he wants to meet the needs of consumers who are now turning more to e-commerce. Products will be shipped with the Go-Jek or Grab service for "sameday service" delivery so that consumers get the product on the same day as the order//Ant