Businesses call for transparent action in handling novel coronavirus

Riska Rahman and Prima Wirayani
The Jakarta Post

PREMIUM

Jakarta / Wed, March 4, 2020 / 08:55 am

Member of presidential Security Detail (Paspampres) check on a visitor's body temperature using a thermal Gun at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta, on Tuesday, March 3, 2020. The body temperature checks are carried out for all guests, including ministers and heads of state institutions that enter the Palace to prevent the spread of the corona virus.(JP/Seto Wardhana)

Analysts and businesspeople have called on the government to take transparent and comprehensive steps to prevent a domestic COVID-19 outbreak and mitigate any potential economic risks after Indonesia announced its first two confirmed cases. The government is expected to face rapid capital outflows, leading to continued weakness of the rupiah, according to Fitch Solutions’ Asia country risk research head Anwita Basu. “The other concern we have is that, policymakers have only taken action to mitigate the impact of the outbreak on the external sectors,” she wrote in an email to The Jakarta Post on Tuesday. “So far, we have seen limited resources going toward the country’s public health services to avoid a domestic epidemic.” Read also: Government delays incentives for foreign tourists after COVID-19 hits Indonesia Last week, foreign ...

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