VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Wishnutama Kusubandio, has stated that his office is preparing new operational procedures for the tourism sector for implementing the new normal, which will be simulated before it is enforced.

After a limited meeting, led by President Joko Widodo on ensuring productivity and safety in the tourism sector under the new normal, in Jakarta on Thursday, the minister said his office is currently preparing stages of opening the tourism sector ahead of the implementation of the new normal.

"The stages would have to be passed by tourism destinations, given that (efforts to check the spread of) COVID-19 have become better with various parameters prepared, until these stages are carried out," he informed.

He added that the standard operational procedures in the tourism sector would be prepared for a number of facilities, for example, hotels, restaurants, and tourist destinations, including various supporting facilities.

Before their implementation, he continued, a simulation of the procedures will be carried out. "After the simulation, we will disseminate information on the procedures, and then we will enter a trial period," he continued.

At the initial stage, however, he plans to prioritize regions or tourist destinations that are truly ready.

"Of course, we will prioritize regions that are ready because regional readiness is important and (we) have coordinated with regional heads who have been ready for this stage," he said.

President Joko Widodo has specifically requested that a new standard for Indonesian tourism be prepared, as the future global tourism trend looks set to change as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The President has also directed that the Indonesian tourism sector first focus on attracting domestic tourists, along with the implementation of strict health protocols. (ANTARA)

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo during a limited meeting  (27/5) issued directives on handling the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, including tight screening on people who return to capital Jakarta from mudik (annual exodus during Eid Al-fitr) trip and focusing on provinces with high number of COVID-19 cases.

According to the President, controlling the return of people who visited their hometown during Eid to Jakarta is extremely important to curb virus transmission that may cause the second wave pandemic, particularly in Greater Jakarta areas.

As the capital has flattened the curve, the Government should maintain the condition, he added.

The President also ordered the COVID-19 Handling Task Force and related ministries to focus on provinces that report high new cases of coronavirus.

“Do pay extra attention to Java Island, especially in East Java province in terms of the availability of designated and emergency hospitals,” President Jokowi said, adding that the sample testing and massive tracing are also pivotal to control the virus transmission.

Meanwhile, other provinces outside Java Island whose cases remain quite high such as the provinces of South Sulawesi, South Kalimantan, South Sumatra, Papua, and West Nusa Tenggara should also be given extra attention, the President added.

The Head of State also reminded that the target of 10,000 specimens per day for massive testing has to be materialized immediately. (setkab)

As many as 92 foreign nationals in Indonesia have tested positive for COVID-19, 314 are under surveillance, while 164 have recovered from the infection as of May 5, 2020, the Foreign Ministry reported.

The diagnosis of three more foreigners is yet to be confirmed. Meanwhile, so far, 17 foreigners have died of the virus, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi stated during an online media briefing in Jakarta on Wednesday.

The government arrived at the figure after identifying 590 COVID-19 cases involving foreign nationals.

The number of foreign nationals testing positive for COVID-19 has dropped compared to last week, when the figure was 98. Meanwhile, the number of foreign nationals recovering from the infection has increased to 164 from 149 last week.

Marsudi remarked that the Foreign Ministry has maintained constant communication with the embassies of the foreign nationals in Indonesia to keep them abreast of the condition of their health.

Indonesia has recorded a total of 12,071 confirmed coronavirus cases as of May 5, 2020, with 2,197 patients recovering and 872 dying of the infection.

The Indonesian Government officially announced the country's first confirmed coronavirus case on March 2 this year. The central and regional governments have since then made persistent efforts to flatten the coronavirus curve by imposing healthcare protocols and social restrictions.

Large-scale social restrictions have been enforced in several cities, including Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, Bekasi, and Pekanbaru, to break the chain of COVID-19 transmission.

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

Achmad Yurianto, Indonesian government's spokesperson for COVID-19 response, asserted that the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) can be fully controllable, chiefly through the public's compliance and discipline in implementing the social distancing measure and health protocols.

"We must abide by the rules if we want (the virus) to be brought under control in June and July. Presently, there are indications of the disease starting to be brought under control, and restrictions being reduced," Yurianto stated during a press conference at the Graha BNPB Building here on Tuesday.

All elements of the nation should be committed to staying disciplined and compliant to the policies applied by the government to successfully contain the COVID-19 pandemic, he remarked.

Yurianto noted that COVID-19 cannot be contained if only a part or a group of people are committed.

"We are optimistic that August would be better. A new sense of normalcy will be restored in our lives, and we will lead a more disciplined life, for instance, the discipline of hand washing and leading a clean and healthy lifestyle," he stated.

Yurianto stated that Indonesians, their families, and neighbors, as well as the environment can be protected by following a clean and healthy lifestyle.

"We are sure we can. The key is that we must be together and "gotong royong (mutual help and cooperation)," he emphasized.

Until Tuesday, at 12:00 local time, Indonesia recorded 243 other people that had recovered from the novel coronavirus disease, thereby bringing the total number of recoveries so far to 2,197.

New deaths brought the death toll to 972, while the number of confirmed cases rose by 484 people to reach 12,071 (Antara)