Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati expressed concern over the impacts of the new Omicron variant of COVID-19 on Indonesia’s recovery on account of its spread to several western and eastern countries.

“We are very vigilant, and (we are) observing what is taking place in various parts of the world, including the increasing number of cases or mutations of Omicron,” the minister stated during a virtual convention as seen here on Tuesday.

Indrawati noted that so far, she was optimistic that the nation would recover at a rapid pace, as Indonesia had successfully handled two waves of COVID-19.

The two waves struck in early 2021 as a result of the 2020 year-end holidays and during the July-August 2021 period as a result of the Delta variant’s appearance.

According to the minister, Indonesia’s success in handling the peak of COVID-19 cases was a feat in and of itself, considering that until then, several countries were still trying to address that issue.

Indrawati expects the government’s vigilance to push the national economy to record a growth of 3.5 percent to four percent this year.

Indrawati also ensured that the government’s fiscal support would continue until next year, considering the uncertainty surrounding the developments pertaining to COVID-19.

The government also continuously advances structural reforms, as it is reckoned as a way to promote faster recovery with better and more sustainable growth.

However, she listed several areas of improvement, such as competitiveness, the quality of human resources, as well as productivity and innovation.

“All efforts made by the government in simplifying the investment climate, deep bureaucratization, and simplification of regulations are also highly relevant,” she added.

Source: Antara News