Luhut: People Going 'Mudik' Will Carry Coronavirus

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Coordinating Minister for Investment and Maritime Affairs, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, has warned Indonesians not to leave for Eid exodus (mudik) during the COVID-19 pandemic, while also acknowledging that the government will not be able to legally prohibit the tradition.

"The main consideration is that even if people are prohibited, they still want to go mudik. So we are appealing that if you go to your hometown, you will bring disease; almost certainly you will carry disease. And if you do, there may be death; that could be your family member. So we are asking for the people not to go mudik,” he said via a teleconference after a meeting with President Jokowi, on Thursday, April 2, 2020.

The government, continued Luhut, has prepared compensations in the form of a social safety net to ensure that the needs of the people who decided to cancel their homecoming trip and stay in the city will still be met. "This is so that the economy is not entirely crippled. After we did our calculations, this is the best choice," the minister said.

As stipulated in the Government Regulation (Perpu) on State Financial Policy and Financial System Stability, President Jokowi had allocated an additional Rp405.1 trillion in the 2020 State Budget (APBN) geared to handle the COVID-19 pandemic.

Of this amount, a Rp110 trillion is allocated for social safety net, which would also cover an additional budget for the provision of staple foods, the pre-employment card program, and electricity subsidies.

Considering the large number of informal workers in Jakarta greater area (Jabodetabek) forced to go mudik due to their drop in income as a result of COVID-19 policies, the president acknowledged the potential for coronavirus transmission from these informal workers to their hometowns.

As a result, Jokowi ordered all of his staff to accelerate the implementation of incentives for workers in the informal sector.

DEWI NURITA | DIO SUHENDA (Intern Translator)