If the brake pedal was the health program in Covid-19 response efforts and the gas pedal was the economic program, the rhythm of both pedals need to be reset.
By
KOMPAS EDITOR
·3 minutes read
BIRO PERS SEKRETARIAT PRESIDEN
President Joko Widodo and Vice President Ma\'ruf Amin held a limited meeting regarding the handling of Covid-19 and national economic recovery at the Merdeka Palace, Monday (3/8/2020).
If the brake pedal was the health program in Covid-19 response efforts and the gas pedal was the economic program, the rhythm of both pedals need to be reset.
Earlier, the brake pedal had been slammed, then after that it was released and we slammed on the gas pedal. As the new positive cases of Covid-19 per day continue to grow, there is no other option but to slam on the brake pedal again.
This signal was shown by President Joko Widodo when delivering his opening remarks to a limited meeting discussing the handling of Covid-19 and the national economic recovery on Monday (3/8/2020). The President realized the growing public concern. "I want health protocols -- changes in people\'s behavior – to really become our focus. I just want to focus, maybe in two weeks, we focus on the campaign on wearing face masks," said the President.
"Health Recovers, Economy Rises" is also the motto of the strategic steps of the Covid-19 Response and the Economic Recovery Committee. State-Owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir as chairman of the committee emphasized, "The key to restoring the economy is to restore health first." (Kompas, 7/8/2020).
SOE Minister Erick Thohir with Army Chief of Staff General Andika Perkasa, in Jakarta, Friday (7/8/2020).
The Healthy Indonesia program, which ensures people are safe from Covid-19, and health service reform are placed as the first priority. After that, the Indonesia Working program will become the second priority for the empowerment and acceleration of employment. The third priority is the Indonesia Growing program, namely the recovery and transformation of the national economy.
Observing the development of annual growth in the world economy, countries that are fast and capable in handling Covid-19 do appear more empowered to maintain economic growth. In the second quarter of 2020, China grew 3.2 percent, Vietnam 0.4 percent and South Korea contracted 2.9 percent; while the United States contracted 9.5 percent and the European Union contracted 14.4 percent. Indonesia\'s economic growth also contracted deeper than the government predicted at 5.32 percent. The steps taken in the third and fourth quarters will be very decisive.
Referring to the World Health Organization (WHO), many strategic steps need to be pursued immediately to ensure a sense of security. Until now, Covid-19 cases in Indonesia have continued to rise and have not yet reached the peak. Various vital things need to be ensured, starting from the procurement, the financing to the fast distribution. The minimal and unevenness of the deployment of emergency department team, specialist doctors, personal protective equipment for medical personnel, breathing devices, the capacity of hospitals and laboratories need to be calculated. No less important is the readiness to fight the infodemic, the spread of disinformation.
It\'s time to hit the brakes and release the gas pedal. Tardiness could have dire consequences. The validity of the speedometer (testing, tracing) also needs to be ensured so as not to misread the situation and hit the wrong pedal.
