Indonesia Prepares Travel Bubble Scenario During G20 Presidency

Minister of Communication and Information Johnny G Plate/PHOTO VIA ANTARA

JAKARTA - The Indonesian government is preparing a travel bubble scenario for leaders and delegates who will attend the G20 Presidency.

"The travel bubble scenario has also been prepared taking into account the current development of COVID-19, on the one hand, but on the other hand, we want the success of the G20," said Minister of Communications and Information Johnny G Plate, quoted by Antara, Monday, January 24.

Johnny said there were 150 meetings in 19 cities in Indonesia and involved 20,988 delegates. The event is fairly large, so the travel bubble will be regulated according to the developments of the Coronavirus.

The travel bubble scenario is considered the right scheme to maintain the effectiveness of handling the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia.

The Minister of Communications and Informatics hopes that the Omicron case will soon reach its peak stage and then slow down so that the Indonesian government can take more appropriate policies regarding the organization of national events.

"Our first test is the Motor GP which will be held in March. If it has been done well, then we hope that the next G20 events will be even better with the existing experiences," said Johnny.

Currently, the government has appointed a spokesperson for the G20 Presidency. Indonesia divides the discussion of issues at the forum into two meetings, namely the Sherpa Track and the Financial Track.

The Sherpa Track discusses non-financial economic issues ranging from energy, development, tourism, digital economy, education, labor, agriculture, trade, investment, industry, health, anti-corruption, environment, to climate change.

The Financial Track prioritizes six issues related to the economy, namely exit policies for post-pandemic global economic recovery, the impact of COVID-19 on the real sector, digital payment systems, sustainable finance, financial inclusion, and international taxation.

Johnny said that the appointment of a spokesman related to the Sherpa Track was chaired by the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto. Meanwhile, the position of deputy chairman is filled by Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi.

Then, the spokesperson for the Financial Track was led by the Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani with the deputy chairman position held by the Governor of Bank Indonesia Ferry Warjiyo.

General communication regarding the implementation will be carried out by the Minister of Communication and Information, Johnny Gerard Plate. Meanwhile, special issues related to presidential policies from the Presidential Palace will be carried out by the Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko.

Indonesia's G20 presidency brings up three main issues, namely the transition to sustainable energy, the world health system, and economic and digital transformation.

The G20 summit will take place in Bali, precisely through the G20 Summit which will be held around October 2022.