Approaching Eid, 30 Thousand Tanah Abang Market Traders Have Been Vaccinated Against COVID-19

Tanah Abang Market Traders Vaccinated with COVID-19 (Photo: ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Tanah Abang Market is usually the main reference for shopping for clothes in the month of Ramadan. Ahead of Eid, visits to the Tanah Abang market will increase. During the COVID-19 pandemic, visits that usually leave a market full of sellers and buyers do not occur.

To revive the economy in the MSME sector, the government is promoting vaccinations for the community, business world, and MSMEs. Market traders are one of the targets of vaccination in order to provide comfort and safety for those who trade and those who come to buy.

Ferry Juliantono, Chairman of the Association of Indonesian Market Traders (APPSI), appreciated the government's initiative to vaccinate market traders. "Market traders need to be vaccinated because they often interact with the community. Hopefully the government can encourage vaccination not only at Tanah Abang Market but all existing markets", he explained in a Public Dialogue held by KPC PEN (Committee for Handling Coronavirus Disease 2019 and National Economic Recovery) and broadcast on FMB9ID_IKP, Wednesday, 21 April.

President Director of PD Pasar Jaya, Arief Nasrudin, said that the enthusiasm of Tanah Abang traders to receive the vaccine is very high. "At Tanah Abang Market, which has now finished the second vaccination, it has been able to give psychological effects such as crowds. I still ask visitors to pay attention to health protocols. Indicators of increasing transactions are starting to appear even though one of the indicators is because it is also in the month of Ramadan", he said.

Traders at Tanah Abang Market have been vaccinated for more than 30 thousand, this is an achievement in itself considering the initial estimate of 15 thousand market traders who will be vaccinated at that location.

"Currently we have vaccinated in three large market units in DKI Jakarta, Tanah Abang Market, Kramat Jati Market, and Kebayoran Lama Market. The next stage will be at Majestik Market”, promised Arief.

"Along with the vaccination program there is public confidence to be able to leave the house so that consumption occurs. The government's success in the vaccination program to deal with COVID-19 means the government's success in restoring the economy”, said M. Ikhsan, General Chair of the Indonesian MSME Association.