Corona Virus Update #66    June 1, 2021

Cumulative number of reported cases 1,826,527 (as of June 1)

  • Recovered: 1,674,479
  • Deaths: 50,723
  • Fatality rate: 2.78%

 Rupiah to US: 14,292
Jakarta Stock Exchange Index: 5947
Reserves (US$ Billions): $138.799 (April 30)

Overview- Herd Immunity in 2022

Indonesia is closely monitoring an increase in Covid infections, especially in Jakarta, that were expected after the end of the Islamic fasting period. The following indicators have been reported: the Kemoryan treatment facility has reached 25% occupancy where it was 15% a week ago; high transmission (red) zones are more numerous in Sumatra; new detections reached 5,514 for the week ending May 27, thiu highest since March

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani told Indonesia’s Parliament on June 1 that “efforts to handle the pandemic and implement mass vaccination is expected to control the rise in the COVID-19 caseload, so that herd immunity can be achieved in the first quarter of 2022,”

Travel-

Indonesia is now banning travelers from India and Pakistan or who have traveled there. Check your airline regarding their route and landing policy.

Indonesia has not yet opened access for visa-on-arrival and visa-free during the COVID-19 pandemic, except for foreigners with essential purposes such as businesses, works, or humanitarian reasons. Visit Indonesian Immigration (https://www.imigrasi.go.id) and the Indonesian Embassy (https://kemlu.go.id/washington/en) for updated visa and entry requirements as regulations may change frequently.

Port of entry for international flights remains Jakarta for most flights.

AICC Member, PT Cekindo can help secure business visas.

The current situation is that you need to have a local sponsor to obtain a visa and you have to undergo a 5-night quarantine but should new cases spike, especially those involving the Indian variant, Indonesia could lengthen them to 14 days.  The local sponsor applies directly to Indonesia’s immigration department. Jakarta is currently the only port of entry; you fly to other regions (i.e. Bali) from there.

AICC member PT Cekindo is currently arranged business visas if you do not have a local sponsor. Contact: Vincent Cellier vincent.cellier@cekindo.com

Economic

  • Morgan Stanly exits: Reuters reported that Morgan Stanley plans to close its Indonesian onshore institutional equities trading business, the investment bank said on Thursday in response to Reuters queries.  Morgan Stanley said in a statement that it “intends to cease its onshore broker-dealer activities in Indonesia. The firm remains committed to Indonesia and will continue to provide our global clients access to the equity market working with qualified local brokerage partners.”
  • No More Coal-Fired Plants: Top thermal coal exporter Indonesia is planning to retire its coal-fired power plants gradually, in a phased move towards becoming carbon neutral, an official from the country’s state utility, Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN), said on Thursday. This is part of PLN’s ambition to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, its deputy president director, Darmawan Prasodjo told a televised hearing in parliament. Indonesia’s government aims to have 23% of energy coming from renewable sources by 2025, up from around 11% as of last year, but progress on renewable projects has been slow.
  • OSS Licensing System Delayed: Indonesia is postponing the launch of an online platform that aims to make it easier for investors to submit documents and secure licenses. Investment Minister Bahlil Lahadalia said Friday that the government was planning to delay the launch of the online single submission (OSS) platform, initially scheduled to go live on June 2, into July.
  • 5G Comes to Indonesia: State-owned telecommunication operator Telkomsel launched on May 27 the first commercial 5G service in Indonesia, thereby testing the market for such a premium data service. Telkomsel president director Setyanto Hantoro said that, in the initial stage, 5G services would be made available in residential areas of Jakarta and South Tangerang given potentially high consumer demand for data services in those areas.

Foreign Affairs

US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman Visits Indonesia: Deputy Foreign Minister Mahendra Siregar hosted on Monday his American counterpart Deputy Secretary of State Wendy R. Sherman, who is on a diplomatic tour in the region this week, visiting Indonesia, Thailand and Cambodia. In a joint statement after the meeting, Sherman said Indonesia was a leader within ASEAN and “an anchor of the rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific”. “Indonesia and the US also share a vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific region, including a commitment to freedom of navigation and overflight and other lawful usages of the sea,” she said.

Politics/Law/Governance

PDI-P Eats One of its Own: The only political party with the needed proportion of Parliamentary seats to nominate their own candidate for President, PDI-P (also the party of President Jokowi), apparently snubbed one of its own members, Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo, the leading candidate in current nationwide Presidential polls. Ganjar was not invited to a party event in his own province convened by Puan Maharani, the daughter of PDI-P chair and former President Megawati Soekarnoputri, who has presidential ambitions of her own.

KPK Dismisses 51: After speaking out in support of Anti-Corruption Commission(KPK) employees who failed a required civil service test, saying they should under go further education, President Jokowi has remained silent after the KPK announced that of the 75 employees, only 24 would take part in a specialized training program. Analysts are concerned that among the 51 who will be dismissed are some of KPK’s best and most experienced corruption investigators.

(sources: International and Indonesia news media, Bali Update (from balidiscovery.com), Reformasi Weekly, US Embassy website)