Set PSBB Status To Handle COVID-19, Jokowi Conducts A Number Of Policies

President Joko Widodo (Photo: setkab.go.id)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo decided that the government would implement large-scale social restrictions or PSBB based on the public health emergency status due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The government determines the status of public health emergencies. To deal with the impact of the outbreak, I have decided in a cabinet meeting that the option we choose is large-scale social restrictions or PSBB," Jokowi said in a statement broadcast on the Presidential Secretariat YouTube account, Tuesday, March 31. .

The implementation of this PSBB policy has been based on Law Number 6 of 2018 concerning Health Quarantine. He said, this PSBB was determined by the Minister of Health in coordination with the Head of the COVID-19 Task Force and regional heads.

In its implementation, the government has also issued a Government Regulation (PP) on PSBB and a Presidential Decree (Keppres) on the determination of public health emergencies as the legal basis for implementing Law Number 6 of 2018.

Furthermore, the National Police can take measurable law enforcement steps in accordance with existing regulations with the aim of preventing the spread of COVID-19 from spreading.

"With the issuance of this PP everything is clear. I ask regional heads not to make their own policies that are not coordinated. All regional policies must comply with the regulations that are in the corridor of the Law and PP and the Presidential Decree," he said.

In implementing the PSBB due to the COVID-19 pandemic, President Jokowi has also prepared five social safety net decisions or safetynet policies for the lower classes of society.

The first is the Family Hope Program, which will be increased to 10 million recipients from the 9.2 million beneficiary families. The amount of benefits will be increased by 25 percent for each component.

Second, the basic food card. Jokowi said that the number of recipients of this card will be increased from 15.2 million to 20 million recipients with an assistance amount of IDR 200 thousand or an increase of 30 percent from the previous amount, namely IDR 150 thousand and will be given for nine months.

"The three pre-employment cards. The pre-employment card budget has been increased from Rp. 10 trillion to Rp. 20 trillion. The number of beneficiaries to 5.6 million people is mainly informal workers as well as micro and small business actors affected by COVID-19," said Jokowi.

Beneficiaries of this pre-employment card will receive assistance of Rp. 650 thousand to Rp1 million per month for the next four months.

Then, regarding electricity tariffs, customers with 450VA power with around 24 million subscribers will be free for three months, namely April, May and June. Customers with 900VA power pay only half their bill.

The government also ensures that people's basic needs will be met. Currently, the government has allocated a budget of IDR 25 trillion for basic needs and market operations.

Then, to lighten credit payments for informal workers, be it online motorcycle taxis, taxi drivers and MSME players, fishermen with credit below Rp. 10 billion, the OJK has issued a regulation regarding this matter and will take effect in April 2020.

"The submission procedure has been established without having to come to a bank or leasing company. It is enough through email or digital communication media, such as the WhatsApp application," said Jokowi.

He also ensured that the debt collector's collection of online motorcycle taxis, such as what happened some time ago, would not be repeated. At that time, a number of reports said that these online motorcycle taxi drivers were still being billed by their vehicle loan leasing even though Jokowi said he would provide assistance for bank and non-bank financial credit leniency.

"I have confirmed it to the OJK, starting this April it has been effective. I have also received this regulation of the Financial Services Authority (OJK) specifically relating to the credit. This means that once again, this April can run," he concluded.