GENERAL NEWS AND HEADLINES

Ministry allows large-scale social restrictions for Jakarta
Detik (https://tinyurl.com/rjtl9xl); The Jakarta Post (https://tinyurl.com/u9ja8c6)

The Health Ministry has approved the Jakarta administration’s proposal to impose large-scale social restrictions (PSBB). Jakarta is the first region in the country to apply such measures to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Health Ministry head of media and public opinion Busroni clarified earlier today that the proposal was signed on Monday evening.

Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto issued on Tuesday a ministerial decree concerning the approval, a copy of which was obtained by The Jakarta Post, saying that the decision had been made following several considerations.

“Existing data show there has been a significant increase and rapid spread of COVID-19 cases, accompanied by local transmission occurrences in the province of Jakarta,” the decree read.

Busroni said that Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan could start managing the implementation in Jakarta according to his regional capacity once a permit letter was sent to the Jakarta administration on Tuesday.

 

Thousands of migrant workers to return home amid pandemic
CNN Indonesia (https://tinyurl.com/v7zcs5p)

Tens of thousands of Indonesian migrant workers (TKI) have decided to return home as the government prepares to pick them up amid the coronavirus pandemic, as confirmed by Joint Defense Area Command (Kogabwilhan) I commander Rear Adm. Yudo Margono

“As of today, 37,222 migrant workers have already returned home,” Yudo said through a text message earlier today.

Yudo added that the government had also prepared naval vessels in Batam waters in Riau Island to assist their return. Furthermore, the government initially planned to conduct medical tests on migrant workers to ensure they were not exposed to the virus during their time abroad.

“However, they already returned to their respective homes,” Yudo said.

 

3.7 million families in Greater Jakarta to receive Bansos funds
Kompas (https://tinyurl.com/tq58lw5); Liputan6 (https://tinyurl.com/wgy44x5)

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo gave an assurance during a meeting earlier today that as many as 3.7 million families residing in Jakarta and its satellite cities Depok, Bogor, Tangerang and Bekasi would receive social assistance funds (Bansos), following the COVID-19 emergency period previously announced by the government.

Jokowi stated that the funds for 1.1 million families would be provided by the Jakarta administration, whereas the remaining funds for 2.6 million families would be provided by the central government.

Jokowi, however, has yet to provide further details about the form of aid and the exact amount that will be provided.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS NEWS AND HEADLINES

Jokowi revises state budget spending plan
CNBC Indonesia, (https://tinyurl.com/twpdgsf); CNN Indonesia, (https://tinyurl.com/syulhvu); Kumparan, (https://tinyurl.com/w9b75uw) 

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has signed Presidential Regulation (Perpres) No. 54/2020 concerning 2020 state budget revisions to enhance the government’s efforts to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic. As stipulated in the Perpres, the government’s planned state spending has been increased to Rp 2.61 quadrillion (US$161.7 billion), from Rp 2.54 quadrillion. Meanwhile, the state revenue target has been reduced 21.1 percent to Rp 1.76 quadrillion. As the deficit widens, the government expects debt financing to triple to Rp 1.01 quadrillion.

 

Indonesia’s forex reserves drop $9.4 billion in March
Bisnis Indonesia, (https://tinyurl.com/uepdghb); Kontan, (https://tinyurl.com/t5vyqs6); The Jakarta Post, (https://tinyurl.com/st39hkk) 

Indonesia’s foreign exchange (forex) reserves dropped US$9.4 billion in March to $121 billion as Bank Indonesia (BI) stepped up its market intervention measures to stabilize the rupiah exchange rate amid heavy capital outflows, according to the central bank. BI said the decline in forex reserves in March was due to payments of the government’s external debts and market intervention to stabilize the country’s currency amid “extraordinary conditions due to panic in the global financial market triggered by the rapid and widespread effect of COVID-19 throughout the world”.

“The fear has induced capital outflow and amplified exchange rate pressures on the rupiah, especially in the second week of March 2020,” BI wrote in a statement on Tuesday. Foreign investors have sold Rp 148.76 trillion (US$9.04 billion) in Indonesian assets, including Rp 135.08 trillion in government bonds and Rp 9.71 trillion in Indonesian shares, BI data shows.

 

Telkomsel’s broadband traffic jumps by 16 percent
Investor Daily, (https://tinyurl.com/sp38l45); The Jakarta Post, (https://tinyurl.com/uawjry7) 

Telecommunication company PT Telekomunikasi Selular (Telkomsel) has reported a 16 percent increase in its broadband traffic as the public continues to follow physical distancing measures amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “The rise in broadband traffic is dominated by e-learning application usage, such as Ruangguru, universities’ e-learning centers and Google Clasrrom,” Telkomsel president director Setyanto Hantoro said, adding that all three applications saw a more than 5,400 percent surge in usage. The subsidiary of state-owned telecommunication company PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Telkom) also saw more than 443 percent increase in usage of online meeting applications such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams and CloudX Telkomsel. “Meanwhile, we have observed that social media traffic has been more stable,” Setyanto said, adding that online gaming traffic grew 34 percent.

 

App-based ‘ojek’ drivers’ income may fall by 50 percent due to PSBB implementation
CNBC Indonesia, (https://tinyurl.com/tk2s88v); CNN Indonesia, (https://tinyurl.com/taveyer) 

Local tech giant Gojek and Singapore-based ride-hailing decacorn Grab have to temporarily stop carrying passengers, following Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto’s decision to approve the Jakarta administration’s proposal to implement large scale social restrictions (PSBB). Two-Wheel Action Movement (Garda) leader Igun Wicaksono said the temporary prohibition could reduce app-based ojek (motorcycle taxi) drivers’ income by more than 50 percent. “We want the government to compensate for the income losses suffered by app-based ojek drivers through the cash transfer program amounting to 50 percent of our normal income [Rp 100,000 per day],” Igun told Bisnis Indonesia. There are approximately 1.2 million app-based ojek drivers in Greater Jakarta.

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