Mall Entrepreneurs Believe The Economy In 2022 Is Much Better Than This Year: Vaccination Is A Driver

JAKARTA - Chairman of the Indonesian Shopping Center Management Association (APPBI) Alphonzus Widjaja is optimistic that business conditions in 2022 will be much better than 2020 and 2021.

"The high vaccination rate will be a driving force for future economic movement and growth," said Alphonzus, quoted from Antara, Thursday, August 12.

After the malls opened gradually with a capacity of 25 percent, he said APPBI welcomed the easing of shopping centers. In particular, those located in four cities, namely Jakarta, Bandung, Semarang and Surabaya.

By allowing shopping centers to operate, many micro and small-scale non-formal business sectors around shopping centers will also be saved from the difficulties so far due to losing customers.

However, the current easing is considered not to be able to ease the heavy burden on the business conditions of the shopping center sector in Indonesia which has been experienced for more than one and a half years.

"Especially during non-operational times for more than the last five weeks, namely during the implementation of Emergency PPKM (Enforcement of Community Activity Restrictions) and PPKM based on level," said Alphonzus.

The relaxation that has been given, he continued, did not immediately erase the heavy impact suffered during the operational closure.

Based on experience during this pandemic, he said, it would take no less than 3 months to increase the visit rate by only 10-20 percent.

"So, it is certain that in 2021 the business condition of the shopping center will again decline," he explained.

Therefore, he hopes that the extension of PPKM based on level can be really effective so that other regions or cities can get easing. With that, said Alphonzus, all shopping centers in Indonesia can operate at least the same as when the Micro PPKM was implemented.

He also hopes that the mandatory vaccination requirements for anyone in shopping centers will accelerate the achievement of herd immunity, so that Indonesia can soon get out of the health crisis.