LiputanIslam.com— Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan decided to extend the PSBB in Jakarta from 28 September to 11 October 2020. The extension of the PSBB period was carried out because the COVID-19 cases still had the potential to increase.
Chairman of the DPD Association of Indonesian Indigenous Entrepreneurs (HIPPI) of DKI Jakarta Province, Sarman Simanjorang, revealed that the extension of the PSBB in Jakarta put pressure on the business world. This condition has made the employers’ turnover drop by 80 percent.
“With the extension of the PSBB, it is definitely more burdensome for entrepreneurs, starting with minimal transactions, dropping turnover up to 80 percent, increasingly depressed cash flows, and more burdensome operating costs for entrepreneurs,” he revealed on Friday (25/9).
He said if the pandemic was not resolved, many problems would arise, such as an increase in the number of layoffs, an increasing number of closed UMKM, and an increase in the poverty rate.
Therefore, according to him, the public must have high awareness to implement health protocols so that the transmission of the COVID-19 case can be suppressed and the economy can recover.
“The sooner we are able to control and suppress the transmission of COVID-19, the faster we will restore the economy,” he remarked.
The chairman of the Jakarta Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI), Krisnadi, said that if the PSBB continued to be extended, the company would no longer be able to pay for employee salaries due to the declining income.
“I am trying to record data. If this is extended, for example, October has not yet ended and I estimate that employers can no longer operate their businesses and will lay off employees,” he explained.
He said, as of May 2020, the number of hotels plus restaurants in Jakarta that had closed due to PSBB had reached one hundred. Most of these hotels and restaurants have not yet reopened.
“There’s no business, right? Right, when these businesses are closed, it will be difficult to start again. So yes, it’s dangerous if the condition doesn’t get better soon,” he said. (sh /cnnindonesia/liputan6)