Indonesia's SOEs Minister, Erick Thohir, urged all SOEs to minimize meetings amid COVID-19. (Image via Katadata)

Amid COVID-19, SOEs Ministry urges less meeting

Indonesia’s State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister, Erick Thohir, advised all Indonesian SOEs to limit mass meetings, including outbound meetings to prevent the further outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

Speaking on Sunday, Erick ensured that SOEs will operate normally and their services will keep on running especially for the public SOEs such as banks, telecommunications, airports, seaports, airlines, trains, highway operators, and hospitals. The Minister said that the only limitation lies in the mobility and the meetings.

The Minister also had himself tested for COVID-19 on Sunday. However, regarding the venue, Erick declined to reveal. The sudden urge came after the Minister of Transportation, Budi Karya Sumadi, was tested positive for COVID-19.

To prevent the number of confirmed cases and the death toll from increasing, Erick advised SOEs and Indonesian people to exercise good hygiene such as regular hand-washing and no mass gatherings such as wedding reception, concerts, or sports matches.

Erick also emphasized that the elderly people, over 50 years old, should watch out by staying indoors all the time.

He said that all along the Indonesian government has set programs to handle the COVID-19 outbreak, detected late December 2019 in Wuhan, Hubei Province, Central China. However, the program alone will not do, unless Indonesian people also stay committed to it. The Minister put Vietnam and Singapore as examples.

Source: https://bit.ly/3b0Qs0r