PHRI Reveals Govt Debts in COVID-19 Isolation Hotel Partnership
Translator
Ricky Mohammad Nugraha
Editor
Markus Wisnu Murti
Senin, 5 Juli 2021 18:02 WIB
A security guard stands in front of Holiday Inn Hotel where 141 foreigners undergo isolation in the Gajah Mada area, Jakarta, Monday, April 25, 2021. TEMPO/Muhammad Hidayat
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Hotel and Restaurants Association (PHRI) on Monday revealed that the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has yet to pay for the services of 14 hotels in Jakarta that were designated as COVID-19 isolation facilities.
The hotels had accommodated asymptomatic COVID-19 patients and temporarily housed healthcare workers. PHRI said the unpaid bills amounted to Rp140 billion across nine payment batches from February to June.
“We hope this can be paid soon as cash flow of [the industry] is critical,” said PHRI chairperson Sutrisno Iwantono in a press conference on July 5.
News about the unpaid bills was previously revealed by the acting head of BNPB’s emergency handling, Dody Ruswandi, in early June. In the presentation to a number of mass media at the time, he said the Rp60 billion out of a total Ro200 billion bill had been completed.
Despite this issue, PHRI hoped that the partnership would continue in the future, especially for hotels used as quarantine locations for foreign nationals arriving in Indonesia.
