Under these current circumstances, (businesses) should stay motivated and work hard. That is the key.
Yogyakarta (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo has appealed to micro and small businessmen in the Special Province of Yogyakarta not to give up running their businesses in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Under these current circumstances, (businesses) should stay motivated and work hard. That is the key," he said while handing out productive presidential assistance to micro businesses at the Yogyakarta Presidential Palace here on Friday.

The difficult situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has affected not only Indonesian businessmen, but also businessmen from 215 rich, developing, poor, and small countries in the world, he pointed out.

"Businessmen all over the world, including micro-, medium-, and large-scale businesses are facing a difficult situation," he remarked.

To limit the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the government has offered several stimuli ranging from direct cash assistance, cash social assistance, electricity subsidy, interest subsidy, basic necessities, salary subsidy, to productive presidential assistance, he noted.

The President reiterated his request to the public to remain optimistic, saying the difficult situation would soon return to normal, particularly once a COVID-19 vaccine is produced and administered.

He said the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine in Indonesia is targeted to begin in January, 2021.

"(Last week) the state-owned enterprises minister visited the United Arab Emirates and China. We have secured the vaccine (in the form of) raw material or finished goods. Some 215 countries are competing (to secure the vaccine)," he noted.

The President also symbolically handed productive presidential assistance worth Rp2.4 million to each of dozens of micro-business owners in Yogyakarta.

The government aims to distribute similar assistance to an estimated 12 million micro and small businesses across the country by September, 2020.

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Translator: Luqman Hakim/Suharto
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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