Introduction

Background

The arrival of 2019-nCoV has sparked international worry, with the WHO declaring COVID-19
a public health emergency of international concern on January 30. The number of COVID-19
cases is rapidly increasing, and it is spreading across countries. A total of 414,179 confirmed
cases with 18,440 deaths (CFR 4.4 percent) had been reported as of March 25, 2020, with cases
reported in 192 countries / regions. Several health personnel have been infected as a result of
these occurrences (Putri, 2020). Since early 2020, the Covid-19 epidemic has been raging.
Although certain countries and regions have declared themselves Covid-19-free, others are
currently experiencing a Covid-19 outbreak, with new cases and deaths on the rise. Southeast
Asia is one of them, and it is still dealing with the Covid-19 crisis.

The growing popularity of Covid-19 in Southeast Asian countries demonstrates that the virus
remains a big menace to the region. This is because diverse negative repercussions have been felt
across many industries and countries since the Covid-19 epidemic. In terms of macroeconomics,
countries are confronted with the dilemma of economic contraction, with Southeast Asian
economies experiencing negative growth. In this situation, ASEAN's response as a regional
organization is critical in order to strengthen regional stability and take coordinated pandemic
response measures. Furthermore, when confronted with the same difficulties, mutual solidarity
amongst countries and regions is critical to defeating the Covid-19 epidemic.

There hasn't been a single country in Southeast Asia that hasn't had positive Covid-19 cases.
Each country in the region has its own policies and strategies, but they all share the same goal: to
deal with Covid-19 as a contemporary threat. ASEAN, as a regional body, is also obligated to
develop appropriate responses to the epidemic (Bilqis Fadhilah et al., 2021).

This COVID-19 pandemic also demonstrates that no single country can deal with a pandemic.
To combat this deadly virus, every country urgently requires international cooperation. This
COVID-19 virus outbreak has not spared Southeast Asian countries. The spread of this disease
has turned into one of Southeast Asia's most serious non-traditional security risks. Countries in
Southeast Asia reacted quickly to COVID-19 by establishing attitudes and internal policies in
each country. Each country follows its own set of guidelines. Lockdown policies, such as those
used by Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines, are preferred by some governments. Other
countries, such as Indonesia, prefer to implement social distancing policies (Margaretha Yosinta,
2020).

As of September 7, 2021, data from the World Health Organization (WHO) states that the
number of COVID-19 positive confirmations globally has reached 221,134,742 persons, with
4,574,089 people dying. Meanwhile, the WHO revealed on September 5, 2021 that the total
number of immunizations administered worldwide had reached 5,352,927,296 doses (WHO,
2021).

Research Question

Given the daily increase in the number of people affected by the virus, what are ASEAN's efforts
in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic?

Discussion

As a regional entity in Southeast Asia, ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)

collaborates in the fight against COVID-19, which has yet to be eradicated. All ASEAN member
countries are concerned about the virus's spread, which has wreaked havoc on their economies.
As a result, ASEAN has taken action by proposing regional collaboration in the fight against the
COVID-19 pandemic. ASEAN leaders have developed plans and debated a variety of measures
related to regional cooperation in ASEAN. A number of guidelines have been agreed upon by all
ASEAN countries, and it is believed that these guidelines would assist other ASEAN nations in
combating the COVID-19 virus. However, there are some criticisms and obstacles facing
ASEAN's regional cooperation in the face of the COVID-19 epidemic (Margaretha Yosinta,
2020).

Within ASEAN, the ten nations agreed on a number of key areas related to COVID-19, including
improving cooperation against COVID-19 by exchanging information, best practices, research
development, epidemiological development, and other issues. Furthermore, presenting safety for
ASEAN residents with inside the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, strengthening public verbal
exchange and efforts to fight stigmatization and discrimination, committing to collective
movement and coordinated guidelines to mitigate financial and social affects, the significance of
a complete technique related to multi-stakeholders and multi-sectorals, assigning ASEAN
financial ministers to make certain the continuity of deliver chain connectivity in order that
financial and social affects are mitigated, and to assist the reallocation of the Trust Fund ASEAN
to address the COVID-19 virus pandemic (Muliya Deni, 2020).

On April 14, 2020, ASEAN conducted a virtual Covid-19 conference to discuss how to deal with
the epidemic. The conclusions of the ASEAN Summit on Covid-19 are a commitment to fighting
the outbreak and preparing for a post-epidemic social and economic recovery. The ASEAN
Summit agreed on a number of essential areas connected to the COVID-19 agreement, including:
Strengthening collaboration in dealing with COVID-19 by sharing information, best practices,
research development, epidemiology development, and others. Furthermore, it protects ASEAN
citizens during the Covid-19 pandemic, improves public information and measures to combat
stigma and discrimination, and advocates for cooperative action.

ASEAN countries have pledged to increase efforts to recover from the consequences of the
Covid-19 pandemic and foster long-term economic growth through digitization and a more
sustainable manner. The pledge was made at the ASEAN 1 Central Bank's 7th Annual Meeting
of Treasury Ministers and Governors, which was held virtually on March 30, 2021 (Elena Maria,
2021).

The ASEAN countries also agreed on many other obligations at the summit, according to the
head of communications at Bank Indonesia (BI):

 We welcome the many policy initiatives taken by ASEAN member nations, including
fiscal and monetary policies, to quickly and broadly repair the economy and sustain
financial stability in the aftermath of the Covid-19 outbreak.
 Completing the work plan for the transition from the ASEAN Framework Agreement on
Services (AFAS) to the ASEAN Agreement on Trade in Services (ATISA) and ensuring
the commitment to open market access in the financial services sector in the 9th AFAS
Protocol, which was more substantial and meaningful.
  Prepare strategic actions for ASEAN banking integration in the digital age by fine-tuning
the ASEAN Banking Integration Framework's guidelines (ABIF).
 Maintaining commitment to easing capital flows in the ASEAN region by gradually
removing limitations, conducting frequent monitoring and policy discussions, and
expanding human resource capability.
 To improve trade, business, and financial inclusion in the ASEAN region, promote the
interconnection of payment systems. Development of the ASEAN taxonomy for
sustainable finance, which will serve as a guide and a common vocabulary for all
ASEAN member countries as they work to build an environmentally sustainable finance
and financing system.
 Support the ASEAN Sustainable Banking Principles initiative, which will serve as a
roadmap for ASEAN central banks in implementing environmentally sound banking
practices that are tailored to each country's needs.
 Ongoing initiatives in ASEAN to promote financial inclusion, include monitoring and
assessment operations and the development of digital financial literacy policy standards.
 Appreciate and support the ASEAN Cybersecurity Resilience and Information Sharing
Platform (CRISP) as a way of sharing information and creating collaborative containment
measures between ASEAN central banks in dealing with cybersecurity risks (Elena
Maria, 2021).

When the Covid-19 pandemic spread, one of the policies adopted by ASEAN member countries
was to support the closure of territories under their national sovereignty, whether by land, sea, or
air. Lockdowns are rules that are imposed generally or gradually and are limited by allowing
some essential activities, such as shopping for fundamental community needs, to continue
(Falahi Ziyad & Nainggolan Poltak Partogi, 2020).

As part of their response to the COVID-19 outbreak, ASEAN leaders have decided to establish a
regional fund. The creation of a Response Fund aims to ensure that vital medical supplies and
equipment are available across the ASEAN area. The monies are derived via the reallocation of
current and available sources. This funding was made possible by ASEAN partners such as
ASEAN Plus Three. This fund is also accompanied by a pledge not to waste funds on the flow of
products, particularly vital goods for combating COVID-19 like as medical, food, and needed
supplies (Margaretha Yosinta, 2020).

A number of other ASEAN member countries, including the Philippines, Malaysia, and Vietnam,
have adopted Singapore's strict lockdown policy after the country was exposed to COVID-19.
The industrial sector was significantly disrupted as a result of this strategy. Southeast Asia has
long been a significant export market for ASEAN member countries' oil and gas, as well as non-
oil and gas commodities, and this is one of the sectors that has been hit the worst by the COVID-
19 pandemic. With the COVID-19 outbreak, ASEAN regionalism has been called into question,
and its very existence has been called into question. The region's development of regionalism
was influenced by member states' commitment and the influence of external dangers, particularly
the question of non-traditional security risks posed by the COVID-19 epidemic. Many critics
have said that ASEAN's response was delayed and seemed to underestimate the spread of
COVID-19 since WHO proclaimed COVID-19 a global pandemic. The special COVID-19
Summit was only conducted more than one month after WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic
(Margaretha Yosinta, 2020).

Budi Gunadi Sadikin, the ASEAN Health Minister, agreed to step up collaboration in the
Southeast Asian region to combat the COVID-19 epidemic. He also stated that ASEAN member
countries who are seeing an increase in cases are stepping up their efforts to combat the epidemic
by expanding testing, tracing, and treatment capabilities, as well as immunization. The ASEAN
Health Ministers Meeting, which took place on Thursday, July 22, 2021, resulted in a joint
declaration from the ASEAN Health Ministers to synergize and strengthen partners' involvement
in establishing health protocols in order to help the economy recover. They also agreed to expand
laboratory capacity and share information about SARS-CoV-2 genomic sequencing in order to
detect viral changes early. The ministers also agreed to support each other's efforts to speed up
immunization in ASEAN member states (Firdaus Andi, 2021).

The ASEAN Health Ministers also stressed the need of carrying out current ASEAN health
sector initiatives, such as the establishment of the ASEAN Center for Public Health Emergencies
and Emerging Diseases (ACPHEED), a regional hub for dealing with public health emergencies.
The ASEAN Public Health Emergency Coordination System (APHECS) is being developed to
 coordinate efforts across ASEAN sector agencies in order to advance regional preparedness and
response to public health emergencies. The ASEAN COVID-19 Response Fund, which supports
the provision of funding and logistical demands for handling COVID-19, as well as the ASEAN
Regional Reserved for Medical Supplies (RRMS), which provides medical equipment reserves
ready to be activated in emergency scenarios. Finally, the ASEAN Travel Corridor Arrangement
Framework (ATCAF), which aims to make cross-border business travel easier, and the ASEAN
Strategic Framework on Public Health Emergencies, which is a standard operating procedure for
dealing with emergencies in the region (Hakim Luqman, 2021).

The virtual meeting also resulted in a "Joint Statement of ASEAN Health Ministers" to
coordinate and strengthen partner participation in developing health protocols in order to help the
economy recover, increase laboratory capacity and exchange information in SARS-CoV-2
genomic sequencing, and support each other's efforts. Vaccination is being accelerated in
ASEAN member countries (Hakim Luqman, 2021).

Conclusion

In recent months, ASEAN has taken a number of key diplomatic moves. The summit is a critical
step toward finding a pandemic solution. In linked fields, ministerial-level discussions are also
held. The employment of summits and mentors as part of the framework to promote pandemic
management and forced economic and social recovery from the COVID-19 epidemic is
strategically crucial. This is critical, given the pandemic's worldwide impact, which affects not
only the health sector but also other parts of life. As a result, post-pandemic global order
alternatives were produced together.

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