The spread of the corona virus has not had a significant impact on activities in the Medan Industrial Estate (KIM), North Sumatra. However, in anticipation of Covid-19 PT KIM as Area Management Company has prepared a budget for prevention and handling the spread of this viruses.
This was said by Trisilo Ari Setyawan President Director of PT KIM in a release received by innews, Tuesday (4/21/2020). "So far the impact of the corona pandemic has not shown a negative direction on the operational of Medan industrial estates. The operations are still running as usual, "he said.
Even so, Trisilo admitted, to responding the current situation, his team had conducted a series of evaluations. For example, by evaluating the RKM in 2020, with the aim of cutting and evaluating the use of a budget that was deemed unnecessary during the Covid-19 pandemic to be transferred to the prevention and management of corona outbreaks.
Furthermore Trisilo proposes to accelerate treatment and prevention of the spread of transmission, the government must implement the policies at all costs, such as the procurement of medical devices supporting examinations, isolation rooms, and personal protective equipment (APD), freeing examination fees, whether proven or not, or things things that are preventive such as the distribution of masks and so on.
"The consequence of deficit budget swelling, in line with the revenue of the state budget which also sharply fell, will indeed burden the government. However, humanitarian calculations should be more prioritized than an economy calculations that can still be overcome in line with the economic of the community recovery, "explained Trisilo.
On the other hand, he continued, to maintain people's purchasing power as a result of slowing economic wheels, the government is required to be able to reduce costs that directly under the government's control, such as basic tariffs for electricity, fuel and clean water. The reduction in electricity and fuel rates will certainly not overburden SOEs and BUMD finances, given that the price of crude oil has fallen to around US $ 20 per barrel is estimated to continue for a long time in line with the potential for a global recession.
"Government efforts to maintain the purchasing power of people from the lower classes by providing Direct Cash Assistance (BLT) to the people affected by corona need to be supported by policies to ensure the smooth supply and distribution of goods, especially food," he added.
He also said, the distribution of BLT also needed to be followed by the accuracy of the data of aid recipients and the improvement of mechanism and institutions in its distribution, so that the BLT funds were not wrongly targeted and were received by all the people who were supposed to get them. "This learns from the experience of channeling social assistance so far that has not been distributed evenly, especially for people who actually need it. Because coordination for data validity up to the sub-district level needs to be done both at the central and regional levels so that the purpose of the BLT to maintain people's purchasing power can be achieved, "he said.
Trisilo added, at a time like this, the potential of panic buying and hoarding, is so huge. So that the security aspects of the distribution need to be tightened. In this situation, as in China, the military apparatus can be optimized, including in helping secure the supply and distribution of goods.
"We all certainly hope that this pandemic can pass soon. For that, let us together, follow the instructions and direction of the government to break the chain of this plague. Also working together to alleviate the burden on people need as well as medical workers who are tired of caring for corona patients, "said President Director of PT KIM.
Medan Industrial Estate is an industrial estate located in Medan Deli, and partly in Saentis Village, Percut Sei Tuan, Deli Serdang. The area is managed by a state-owned enterprise, PT KIM. There are more than 100 companies that occupy the industrial area, both national and foreign.