Lighting the Candle of Solidarity amid the Decline in Business

Kompas/Hendra A Setyawan

Residents donate eggs to a group of young men who turn their own cafe into a public kitchen in the Pisangan area, Ciputat, South Tangerang, Banten, Wednesday (8/4//2020). In the initial stage 200 packets of ready-to-eat food will be distributed to daily casual workers who are directly or indirectly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Covid-19 pandemic has severely hit the tourism industry as people are protecting themselves from the disease by staying at home.

The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) estimates that global spending on tourism will drop by between US$300 billion and $450 billion this year. That amount is almost one third of international tourist spending in 2019, which was estimated at $1.5 trillion.During the Covid-19 pandemic, the UNWTO has been consistently promoting the hashtag #traveltomorrow, suggesting that people stay at home until the pandemic is over and travel once global conditions have improved.

Indonesia\'s tourist industry is also hard hit by the impacts of this pandemic. According to data from the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association as of April 2, 1,139 hotels were temporarily closed because there were no guests. Bank Indonesia data show that 16,163 million tourists visited Indonesia in 2019 with a spending value of $16.192 billion.

Also read: The pandemic and its Economic Impact/

It is not only state revenue that has dropped. Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), which also enjoy a piece of the tourism cake, have likewise been affected. With much fewer tourists buying their souvenirs or special traditional food these days, they are affected, of course.

The same is true for transportation service providers who usually carry tourists. However, the business pressure has not dampened their willingness to join hands and provide assistance. Vehicles no longer carry groups of tourists but instead carry medical personnel treating Covid-19 patients at the referral hospitals.

KOMPAS/SEKAR GANDHAWANGI

A number of online taxi drivers have complained about the lack of passengers since Covid-19 became epidemic in Indonesia, on Wednesday (25/3/2020).  Meanwhile, they cannot stay at home to support themselves. The risk of exposure to the Covid-19 outbreak.

The vice president for brand and communication of Panorama Group, AB Sadewa, said Indonesia needed fast and careful collective action in dealing with Covid-19. Panorama provides 11 buses to transport medical personnel from and to the hotels where they stay and the referral hospitals.

Ahead of the implementation of large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) in Jakarta on Friday (10/4/2020), Panorama is preparing for the uninterrupted transportation of medical personnel. "The crew and drivers will stay at the accommodation facilities we have prepared. The buses are also parked in Jakarta," Sadewa said in Jakarta on Tuesday night (7/4).

Panorama carefully arranges the medical personnel shuttle schedules, because the work schedule of each hospital is different. That way, buses can pick up and drop off medical personnel effectively and efficiently.

The business pressures is there and exist, but we must jointly halt the spread of Covid-19 so that the pandemic will not take a long time that can have a prolonged impact on the economy.

Sadewa considers Panorama\'s involvement in providing transportation services for medical personnel a contribution to tackling the Covid-19 crisis. "We are concerned about the humanitarian situation. The business pressures is there and exist, but we must jointly halt the spread of Covid-19 so that the pandemic will not take a long time that can have a prolonged impact on the economy, "he said.

In a similar initiative, taxi service provider PT Blue Bird Tbk has readied seven buses and a minibus to transport medical personnel to and from the referral hospitals and hotels where they are staying.Blue Bird marketing director Amelia Nasution said that, to ensure the safety and comfort of medical personnel, drivers and employees on duty in the buses were equipped with hand sanitizer, gloves and masks. After use, the vehicles are thoroughly cleaned and sprayed with disinfectant.

KOMPAS/FERGANATA INDRA RIATMOKO

A farmer brings harvested chayote for sale in Ngablak Agribusiness Sub Terminal, Ngablak District, Magelang Regency, Central Java, on Friday (27/3/2020). Efforts to sell crops have been carried out by farmers despite the sluggish vegetable trade due to the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak.

According to Amelia, all parties must work together and contribute to handling the Covid-19 pandemic in Indonesia. For the company, the provision of the buses is a form of involvement and participation. Regarding the PSBB, which will soon be implemented by Jakarta, Amelia said, Blue Bird was studying the PSBB rules, especially with regard to the transportation of medical personnel.

The transportation and accommodation of medical workers is coordinated under the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry in line with Presidential Instruction No. 4 of 2020 concerning redefining activities, budget reallocation and procurement of goods and services for the acceleration of handling the Covid-19 epidemic. "A humanitarian mission has nothing to do with profit or loss, but human lives. I urge tourist industry players to help stop the spread of Covid -19, "said Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Wishnutama Kusubandio.

App-based transportation

App-based transportation services also contribute to handling Covid-19. Grab Indonesia\'s managing director, Neneng Goenadi, said Grab provided special facilities to transport medical personnel to and from hospitals through the concierge feature or transportation booking service through certain portals. Special features can also be used to take patients from their residence to the hospital, and vice versa.

The service is provided in cooperation between hospitals and Grab Indonesia. Grab Indonesia has prepared 1,000 GrabBike motorbike taxi drivers and 1,000 GrabCar car drivers throughout Indonesia to facilitate the service.According to Neneng, the service prevents crowding in certain locations while people wait to be picked up. Ahead of the implementation of the PSBB in Jakarta, Neneng said, Gab had coordinated its efforts with the regional government.

Meanwhile, ride-sharing service provider Gojek has provided a health package for tens of thousands of driver partners in more than 80 cities of Indonesia. Gojek has also received a permit to import masks, which would be distributed to driver partners and the Yayasan Anak Bangsa Bisa foundation.

According to Gojek’s chief operations officer, Hans Patuwo, the company imported the masks because it did not want to interfere with the availability and supply of masks in the country that were prioritized for medical personnel. Business is not merely a matter of profit and loss. Businesses also participate in humanitarian activities, lighting the candles of solidarity in the fight against COVID-19.

Kompas

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on March 02, 2020 in New York City. Stocks were up slightly in morning trading following a week that saw a massive sell off due to fears over the Coronavirus.