A worker disinfects Fatahillah Square in front of the temporarily closed Jakarta History Museum in the popular tourist area of Kota Tua, West Jakarta (Source: jakartapost)Jakarta (VNA) - Indonesia’s gross domestic product (GDP) will grow atzero percent this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Bank hasforecast.
In its latest GlobalEconomic Prospect report, the bank said that Indonesia is among the threecountries hit hard by the pandemic in Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
The country’s economyis projected to rebound sharply and record 4.8 percent growth in 2021, althoughstill lower than the World Bank’s earlier projection in January.
The coronavirusoutbreak has disrupted economic activity throughout the archipelago as thegovernment has called on citizens to implement physical-distancing measures tocontain the spread of the coronavirus, forcing offices, factories, shops andschools to shut down.
The government expectsthis year’s economic growth to reach 2.3 percent under the baseline scenario,or to contract by 0.4 percent under the worst-case scenario as consumerspending and investment dry up amid the pandemic. Indonesia’s economy grew by2.97 percent in the first quarter, the slowest pace in 19 years.
On June 9, Indonesiareported the highest single-day increase in the COVID-19 count with 1,043 newcases, according to the country’s Ministry of Health.
The daily jump raisedthe total number of coronavirus infections in the country to 33,076, including1,923 deaths./.
VNA
