BUMN Employees Starting May 25 With Notes Following PSBB Policy

JAKARTA - Employees of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) aged under 45 will return to work or enter the office on May 25. This policy was issued when the government was still handling the corona virus pandemic or COVID-19. With a note, they must follow the Large-Scale Social Restriction (PSBB) policy in the area where they work.

This information is stated in a letter issued by BUMN Minister Erick Thohir numbered S-336 / MBU / 05/2020 dated May 15, it states that employees aged 45 and under can return to work in the office and for those aged over 45 years are expected to continue working at home.

In the letter, the activity recovery phase consists of five phases and will begin on May 25.

"Employees less than 45 years enter and WFH for employees more than 45 years within operating limits," as quoted from the letter.

There are several health protocols that are prepared to protect employees, customers, suppliers, business partners and stakeholders in the form of implementing social distancing, masks, maintaining cleanliness, and so on.

In addition, monitoring of conditions will also be carried out at this stage. As for the industrial and service sectors, the Ministry of BUMN will also start to open limited branch services and regulate entry hours and limit capacity.

Furthermore, the Ministry of BUMN will also open factories, processing, power plants and hotels with a shifting system and limit incoming employees. "The mall has not been allowed to open and is prohibited from gathering," said the letter.

In the second phase on June 2, the Ministry of BUMN will open the service and retail sectors including shopping centers, retail restaurants and hotels. However, restrictions on the number of visitors and opening hours and implementation of health protocols will be strictly implemented.

Then, on June 8, phase three will take place. This phase will begin by opening tourism services and education services. For tourism services, ticket purchase services will be carried out via online and a scanning system and provide restrictions on visitors.

In the fourth phase which will be held on June 29, all economic activities in all sectors will be opened. Then in the fifth phase, which will be held on July 13 and July 20, is to evaluate the fourth phase to continue to the normal scale.

"Then, in early August all sectors operated normally while maintaining strict health and hygiene protocols," the letter was quoted as saying.

Special Staff to the Minister of BUMN, Arya Sinulingga, said that the date stipulated in the letter was not a benchmark. This is because the BUMN Ministry will continue to follow the PSBB regulations in each region.

"Regarding the date it corresponds to the PSBB of a region. If the area is still PSBB, then we will comply with it," said Arya when contacted by VOI, Sunday, May 17.

He emphasized that when a region has not relaxed the PSBB policy, the SOE Ministry will continue to follow suit. "But if this PSBB is opened, the protocol will automatically apply," he said.

Arya added, as long as the policy for employees under 45 years old has worked in the office, the Ministry of BUMN will strictly implement health protocols. Arya claims, the Ministry of BUMN is stricter than any other institution in implementing health protocols.

"In fact, what this BUMN is doing is the health protocol which is stricter than the existing rules of the game. This only applies if the PSBB is no longer valid," said Arya.

Previously, the government through the Chairperson of the Task Force for the Acceleration of Handling COVID-19 Doni Monardo stated that it would provide opportunities for young groups under 45 to work in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic to prevent the layoff of the virus.

"Of course we will give this group room to be able to do more activities. So, we can reduce the potential for exposure to layoffs, "said Doni Monardo, Chair of the Task Force for the Acceleration of Handling COVID-19, in a press conference broadcast on the YouTube account of the Presidential Secretariat on Monday, May 11.

These under 45 years of age, said Doni, are not a category of people who are easily exposed to the virus. He claims that those aged 45 and under have a fairly low mortality rate, namely 15 percent.

“Young people under 45 years of age are those who are physically fit, they have high mobility and on average, even if they are exposed, they are not necessarily sick. They have no symptoms, ”explained the Head of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB).

This is different from the group of people aged 65 years and over. At that age, said Doni, the risk of death reaches 45 percent.

Whereas for the 46-59 year old group, the mortality rate reaches 40 percent because at that age most people have a history of comorbidities such as hypertension, diabetes, lung and heart disease.

So, reflecting on the data, Doni asked people in vulnerable groups to stay at home. Meanwhile, those aged 45 years and under are still active in the midst of the pandemic while implementing health protocols.