TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo asserted that the handling of Covid-19 cases is the key to drive the Indonesian economy. “The economic growth is showing an optimistic trend, while the trend of daily cases continues to decline,” he said in Jakarta, Tuesday, April 20, 2021.

He said Indonesia's economic growth in 2020 was recorded at minus 2.1 percent. “We are only behind the Republic of China. [The economic growth] of the U.S, Japan, Germany, Italy, France were all also contracted,” he added.

At present, the daily number of Covid-19 in the archipelago is in the range of 4,000 to 5,000, much lower than that in January-February which was above 10,000. “The enforcement of community activities on a micro-scale is still the key to controlling Covid-19,” he underlined.

Thus, he hoped this trend could be maintained and improved so that economic growth could continue to move in a positive direction.

The state head further asked the public to comply with the government’s policy on the homecoming or mudik ban during Eid al-Fitr holidays. “Our economic growth is already good, do not let it drop because of Covid-19 again.”

Jokowi recalled that the hike in people’s mobility during holidays led to an increase in Covid-19 cases. “If Eid homecoming is not prohibited, we have calculated that there will be a surge of positive cases to 120,000-140,000 per day. So we must keep suppressing it,” he said.

Read: Jokowi: Don't Underestimate Covid-19

ANTARA