GENERAL NEWS AND HEADLINES

Traffic corps to establish 59 checkpoints along main ‘mudik’ route
Tempo, (https://tinyurl.com/y963unmx)

The National Police Traffic Corps (Korlantas) will establish 59 checkpoints along the main mudik (exodus) route in Java in accordance with the mudik ban that will take effect on Friday.

Traffic corps head Insp. Gen. Istiono said that there would be 17 checkpoints along toll roads and 42 checkpoints for arterial roads.

Meanwhile, the Jakarta Police will have 19 monitoring posts as another measure to prevent citizens from returning to their hometowns from Greater Jakarta. The posts would be used to monitor traffic, especially private vehicles and public transportation carrying passengers.

Those insisting on proceeding with the exodus would be forced to return to Jakarta.

 

Defense Ministry prohibits employees from using Zoom for data security
CNN Indonesia, (https://tinyurl.com/yb9v7mhs); Media Indonesia, (https://tinyurl.com/y9xl7e46); Tempo, (https://tinyurl.com/ycx9qf6p)

The Defense Ministry has prohibited all of its employees from using the teleconference platform Zoom, as stipulated in circular No. SE/57/IV/2020, which was signed by the Defense Ministry’s secretary-general, Vice Adm. Agus Setiadji, on Tuesday.

Defense Ministry spokesperson Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak explained that the application did not guarantee the security of all data, which then risked the possibility of leaked information, especially since interactions made through the application could be monitored by foreign parties.

The ministry has instructed all work unit heads to use alternative teleconferencing platforms for virtual meeting purposes.

 

IDI proposes treating PDP the same as COVID-19 patients
Kompas, (https://tinyurl.com/y8ywcy43)

The Indonesian Medical Association’s (IDI) management board has proposed that the handling of patients under surveillance (PDP) follow the same protocol as the one used for COVID-19 patients. This is due to the increasing PDP fatality rate.

So far, the government has only been reporting the deaths of infected patients who have undergone polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests. However, the deaths of some 900 patients under surveillance were not reported as their PCR test results had not yet been processed. 

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS NEWS AND HEADLINES

Serang-Panimbang toll road project halted after COVID-19 case reported
Investor Daily, (https://tinyurl.com/y8y8oe6x); Bisnis Indonesia, (https://tinyurl.com/ycv42dbk); Kontan, (https://tinyurl.com/yacsayma); Liputan6, (https://tinyurl.com/yacsayma) 

Public Works and Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono has decided to temporarily halt the Serang-Panimbang toll road project after one of the workers on the projected was reportedly found to have COVID-19. The project, which is divided into three sections, will be stopped for 14 days starting from Apr. 16. State-owned contractor PT Wijaya Karya (WIKA) has finished 57 percent of the construction of the first section. The toll road is targeted to be operational in 2022.

 

PT KAI cancels long-distance railway operations as govt bans mudik
CNN Indonesia, (https://tinyurl.com/ybtmwxzd); Kompas, (https://tinyurl.com/y9to3bnq) 

State-owned railway operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) has cancelled all long-distance routes and commuter line operations in the Greater Jakarta area, following President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s announcement of a ban on the Idul Fitri tradition of mudik (exodus) to curb the spread of COVID-19 ahead of Ramadan. “Starting from Friday, Apr. 24, all long-distance routes and commuter line operations will be stopped,” PT KAI Spokesperson Eva Chairunisa said. PT KAI will fully refund all tickets that have been purchased by customers, Eva added. In total, there are 70 long-distance routes and 31 commuter line routes in Greater Jakarta.

 

Kimia Farma to cut investment, costs but expects higher revenue
The Jakarta Post, (https://tinyurl.com/ybb3ffeo) 

State-owned pharmaceutical company PT Kimia Farma plans to cut capital allocation and costs to maintain its performance during the COVID-19 pandemic, yet it still expects higher revenue this year. President director Verdi Budidarmo said on Tuesday that the company was lowering its capital allocation for the year to Rp 1.44 trillion (US$92.38 million), almost 38 percent lower than last year’s allocation of Rp 1.98 trillion. Verdi said that Kimia Farma also planned to reduce its business loans this year, from Rp 8.27 trillion in 2019 to just Rp 7.43 trillion, but did not elaborate on how it would achieve this.

“We are also slashing our operating expense budget to Rp 3.5 trillion this year, Rp 280 billion lower than Rp 3.76 trillion, previously. With our support in providing medicine, medical equipment and services in managing the COVID-19 pandemic, we believe that we can achieve our revenue target of Rp 11.7 trillion this year,” he said.

 

Modalku obtains US$40M from Series C funding
Kontan, (https://tinyurl.com/ya42t727); Bisnis Indonesia, (https://tinyurl.com/yabnzyn7) 

Peer-to-peer (P2P) lending start-up Modalku has received a US$40 million investment commitment from investors through Series C funding. Modalku founder and CEO Reynold Wijaya said the funding came from previous investors such as Softbank Ventures Korea, Sequoia India, Alpha JWC Ventures and Golden Gate Ventures that participated in Series B funding worth US$25 million in 2018, as well as new investors whose name has not been disclosed yet. The fund will be used to restructure loans whose payments have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in the retail trade. Currently, less than 1 percent of active borrowers have submitted proposals for debt restructuring.

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