One of the sectors that has been most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic is the economic sector, especially micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Many MSMEs have experienced a decline in turnover, or have even gone out of business. The COVID-19 pandemic which has occurred in Indonesia since the beginning of January 2020 has limited the activities of MSMEs and their consumers, leading to the reduced supply of raw materials, resulting in a decline in production, and causing the number of workers to be reduced; also, demand has decreased due to restrictions on people’s activities outside the home. The OECD has stated that MSMEs have been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 situation. Policies are needed for MSMEs based on cost reduction strategies in maintaining long-term business continuity during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this research, descriptive qualitative methods were used. The results revealed that MSMEs in Cianjur Regency applied cost reduction strategies to maintain their businesses. Generally, they made savings that did not affect product quality, such as reducing the number of employees and recruiting daily employees, and reducing production costs and operating costs.
Keywords: MSME policy, cost reduction strategies, COVID-19 pandemic