Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno says he’s planning to be more involved with how things are faring for Bali’s tourism industry amid the pandemic, saying that it might include dividing his office hours so he can also work from the island.
“If I were to work from Bali, at least I would be more aware, such as where to direct my attention, to see the need for any additional policy, and add to what I can deliver to both the president and vice president, among other things,” Sandiaga said, explaining how this would be part of his work schedule and not merely official visits.
The minister hopes to be more hands-on with Bali, claiming that ministerial staff would sometimes provide good reports that don’t accurately reflect reality. The remote working plan, for the time being, is still being reviewed by his office.
Sandiaga, who was appointed minister last month as part of President Jokowi’s cabinet reshuffle, stresses the importance of “seeing is believing” in possibly going forward with this plan, which would require him to travel regularly during the pandemic.
Bali is the hardest hit economy in Indonesia, where half of the region is dependent on tourism. It showed a sign of a slow recovery in December due to the rising number of domestic tourists, but the province has been recording notable spikes in COVID-19 cases since the year-end holiday. Its biggest daily increase of 542 new coronavirus cases was reported just yesterday.
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