BANDUNG, unpas.ac.id – The Emergency State regulation of Restriction Implementation on Community Activities (Pemberlakuan Pembatasan Kegiatan Masyarakat, PPKM) in Java-Bali on 3-21 July 2021 was intended to give significant effect for the community, especially for the economic condition.
Economic observer Universitas Pasundan, Acuviarta Kartabi, said the restriction for operational hours of mall or shopping centers triggered a slowdown mobility, thus affected to economic transactions.
“Acceleration of health care, including vaccination, must be optimized. The more effective the handling of Covid-19 during the Emergency State of PPKM, the sooner we can start economic activity. I see [the condition], the main impact is in household consumption, investment, and government spending,” he said on Tuesday, July 13th, 2021.
In order to minimize the possibility of being extended, the implementation of Emergency State of PPKM requires the support from all parties. Moreover, in West Java in particular, the positive-confirmed cases of Covid-19 have increased in recent weeks.
“On one side, it should be addressed firmly in the state of health protection, both in the form of prevention and prosecution for those who are exposed to the virus. Economic effects are certainly going to occur during the Emergency State or in the third quarter of the year (July-September),” he explained.
He thought that the aspects of prevention and prosecution become the most-determining thing to run economic performance in third quarter and months later. If it is not done firmly, it would harm the current and future economic conditions.
“We need to look back to what we have done regarding the previous prosecution or policies in handling the current development. In West Java, I see that Covid-19 Task Force has already had full-fledged SOP,” he continued.
He wished that the government could create new breakthrough in the economic sector as a form healing which gives effects in both regional and national scope, because the economic indicator achievement is different with the health handling protocol which is real time.
“Economic effects cannot be equalized as real time as health protocol. Therefore, I wished there would be economic policy which can be more measurable, both between central and regional government or with the communities themselves,” he continued.
There should also be health-handling protocol or policy which is clearly associated and perfectly arranged in the field. For example, when there are roads forbidden to enter, there should also be mobility for logistics (to distribute basic needs) that is not disrupted.
“The encounter between health-handling protocol and economic condition is actually in the hands of community in applying health protocols. Government should increase the number of affordable locations for Covid-19 test, because these are priority for the community, certainly by always striving to continue the Covid-19 Vaccination program,” he said.
However, if the health-handling protocols are not seriously implemented, he estimates that Covid-19 case will be fixed longer and the economic condition will also be more effected.
“The thing is, we stop moving and lower the speed, to jump further once the Covid-19 pandemic situation subsides, in the next few days,” he concluded.
