Anxiety And Restless Entrepreneurs In DKI Awaiting PPKM Emergency: Jakarta's Economy Could Be Paralyzed

JAKARTA - The current surge in COVID-19 cases has forced the government to implement the Micro PPKM policy into Emergency PPKM with super tight restrictions. However, this government plan makes businessmen restless and restless. The DKI Jakarta Indigenous Entrepreneurs Association (HIPPI) considers that this policy is very difficult for business actors.

The policies that apply during Emergency PPKM are office work from home or WFH 75 percent and work from office or WFO 25 percent, even 100 percent WFO is possible. Opening hours for shopping centers or malls, restaurants, food stalls, cafes, street vendors, standing stalls are limited to 17.00 hours with a capacity of 25 percent.

Head of HIPPI DKI Jakarta, Sarman Simanjorang, said that the restrictions on operating hours and the number of visitors will significantly reduce turnover, profits and ultimately squeeze cash flow.

"Entrepreneurs are currently in position 3 AH, namely ResAH, PasrAh, GelisAH. However, we must support this policy even though it is very difficult to accelerate economic recovery and control the transmission of COVID-19," he said in a written statement, quoted Thursday, July 1.

Sarman, who is also the deputy chairman of the Advisory Council of the Jakarta Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that during the Emergency PPKM, public area activities, arts and culture, meetings, seminars were temporarily closed. Restaurants serving take away are also limited to 8pm and various social and crowd activities will be strictly stopped. This way people will stay at home more.

"If this is really implemented, Jakarta's economy will stagnate and almost paralyze," he said.

According to Sarman, the policy in the Emergency PPKM will have the potential to further prolong the economic recession. Because Jakarta's economic growth in the first quarter of 2021, which is still contracting minus 1.65 percent, will potentially remain in the negative zone in the second quarter of 2021.

"This will have an impact on the national economic growth target in the second quarter of 2021, which is set at 7 percent, because DKI Jakarta's GDP contributes 17.17 percent to national economic growth. If Jakarta's economy is still minus in the second quarter of 2021, it is rather difficult for us to achieve growth the national economy at 7 percent," he said.

Even so, Sarman said the business world really hopes that the effectiveness of the Emergency PPKM policy is really real. Emergency PPKM is expected to really be able to reduce the rate of transmission of COVID-19 to the lowest level.

"The government's firmness is at stake during the implementation of the emergency PPKM, no compromise, firm action against the violators of this emergency PPKM. The business world needs guarantees and certainty for us to quickly get out of this crisis, rebuild the economy and immediately get out of the recession zone," he said.

For your information, currently, the government is still working on the final Emergency PPKM scheme that will be implemented to reduce the rate of transmission of COVID-19 in the country, which has recently been increasing.

President Jokowi stated that it is possible for emergency PPKM to be carried out for a week or two in the islands of Java and Bali. The government will carefully consider the implementation of the emergency PPKM policy based on the latest data on cases of COVID-19 transmission.