Commentary: Indonesia is reopening for business even with record high COVID-19 infections

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Indonesia has plans to lift restrictions and embrace a “new normal” but the sharp spike of COVID-19 cases makes this look like bad timing, says Dr ...

SINGAPORE Indonesia became Southeast Asia’s worst-hit nation last week when its COVID-19 cases surpassed 41,000.

Up until May, the country conducted less than 500 tests per 1 million population - one of the lowest test rates in the world and the third lowest in the region.Yet by last week, the country managed to quadruple that to 2,126 tests per 1 million population, even reaching the target of conducting 20,000 tests in a day.

However, people can voluntarily go to hospitals to get tested for reasons such as to fulfil the prerequisite for air travel, or upon returning from travel. Lamenting this, Planning Minister Suharso Monoarfa said on Jun 22 that Indonesia should increase its testing capacity and aim for 30,000 tests per day.But the Indonesian government has found itself in an awkward position as, at the end of May, President Joko Widodo had declared that the country was ready to move towards a “new normal”: To reopen businesses and facilities and lift other restrictions put in place to limit the infection.

Malaysia has done so in stages after nearly three months of a strictly imposed movement control order . FILE PHOTO: Passengers are seen wearing a protective face mask at a Sudirman train station as the government eases restrictions amid the coronavirus disease outbreak in Jakarta, Indonesia, June 8, 2020. REUTERS/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana

Over 1.75 million workers had lost their jobs by May, according to the Labour Ministry. A total of 4 million to 5.5 million people are projected to lose their jobs this year, Planning Minister Suharso Monoarfa said on Monday . Similarly, the Chairman of the Indonesian Retail Business Association Roy N Mandey claimed the opening of retail businesses “can turn the [national] economic wheels”.

 

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