"Ladies and gentlemen, you have to work even harder and remain resilient," the head of state noted while symbolically presenting the presidential assistance for productive micro businesses 2021 held at the Merdeka Palace courtyard here on Friday.
Jokowi spoke of being aware of the difficult times being faced by all business players, though adding that all parties and those across the world too were reeling from the brunt of the pandemic.
The president believes that it was beyond anyone’s scope to forecast when the COVID-19 pandemic would end.
Related news: RI President reiterates importance of hard work on professional front
The government is striving incessantly to address health-related matters and to boost economic recovery.
"Hence, ladies and gentlemen, we must work even harder. In this situation, we must endure, with our utmost, even though the turnover has fallen to 75 percent. We still have to go on. Work hard, and we hope that this pandemic will end soon," Jokowi emphasized.
Meanwhile, Indonesia has been battling a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases triggered by the more infectious Delta variant.
The country recorded the addition of 43,479 new cases on Thursday within 24 hours, thereby bringing the tally to 3,331,206 cases since the first cases were found in Indonesia on March 2, 2020.
As many as 45,494 COVID-19 patients recovered in a single day, bringing the total count of recoveries to 2,686,170.
The death toll reached 90,552, with 1,893 additional people succumbing to the virus within 24 hours.
The number of active cases stood at 554,484 on Thursday.
Related news: Hard work necessary despite improvement in economic indicators: Jokowi
Translator: Rangga PAJ, Fardah
Editor: Suharto
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