TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno has seconded the opinion of senior economist Faisal Basri that the health aspect must be prioritized during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“And so the tourism promotion is carried out with a targeted segment under strict and disciplined health protocols and focuses on national tourism. That is what we have to do,” said Sandiaga at the Transportation Ministry building in Jakarta, January 3, 2020.

Earlier, Faisal Basri asked the new minister to refrain from promoting tourism given the rising trend of coronavirus infections in the country. Faisal argued that the government was not yet fully capable of handling the pandemic, which was evident from the rising number of positive cases every day.

“Please, Pak Sandiaga Uno, do not promote tourism. Just prepare the basic infrastructure so that after the COVID-19 pandemic, the tourism sector will recover more quickly,” said Faisal in a webinar on Sunday, January 3, 2020.

The economist highlighted Indonesia’s number of cases that continued to increase when several countries had managed to contain the pandemic and suppress the virus spread. At present, the country’s active cases have been recorded at more than 100,000 with new daily cases hitting 7,000.

Indonesia, Faisal Basri added, must reflect on other countries, such as Iran, that could curb the virus transmission from 500 to 100 new cases per day. He opined that one of the ways was the government must be consistent in implementing the policies and increasing the testing capacity.

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MUHAMMAD HENDARTYO