Gov’t Sets Up Village Posts to Strengthen COVID-19 Handling in Regions
In a bid to follow-up on President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s instruction to handle COVID-19 to the lowest administration level, COVID-19 National Working Committee has announced it will coordinate the implementation of COVID-19 Resilient Village Program and Establishment of COVID-19 Resilient Posts at sub-districts, districts, and villages with sub-district and village heads throughout the country.
Spokesperson of COVID-19 National Working Committee Wiku Adisasmito said that these efforts are aimed at strengthening COVID-19 handling measures taken by the Central Government and regional governments to the community’s micro administration levels such as sub-districts, villages, hamlets, and neighboring units through those posts.
COVID-19 Working Committee at the Central Government level, along with Ministry of Home Affairs, and related ministries / institutions, will lead a nation-wide regular coordination with all posts.
The posts, the committee said, will serve as a center for command and operation in handling COVID-19.
The posts which involves the Indonesian National Police (Polri), the Indonesian National Defense Forces (TNI), regional governments units such as Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD), regional heath office, social office, economic office, community health centers (puskesmas), and family welfare community will coordinate, control, monitor, evaluate, and execute measures needed for the handling of COVID-19 in each region.
“The posts have four main functions. The first function is to encourage community’s change of behavior through disseminating the enforcement of public activity restrictions (PPKM) and imposing sanctions to those violating the restrictions,” Wiku said on Wednesday (3/2).
The second function, Wiku added, is to provide public services, namely receiving questions and complaints regarding COVID-19 and social assistance programs, as well as report on those violating the PPKM.
The posts will coordinate to follow up the questions and complaints, he added.
In the meantime, the third function, according to Wiku, is to serve as control center for information by compiling data of the handling of COVID-19 at sub-districts / villages, entering the data into a system called BLC (Bersatu Lawan COVID-19/United Against COVID-19) and reporting the latest update of the data to evaluate the current policies.
The last function is to strengthen 3T (testing, tracing, and treatment) program in villages. The posts can inform local puskesmas about new case of COVID-19, assist those puskesmas in tracing, registering people entering and leaving the village, helping those showing COVID-19 symptoms to get hospitalized, and ensuring COVID-19 patients to carry out self-isolation.
“In general, the posts which are spread throughout the country will encourage change of behavior, improve people’s health, increase prosperity and economic recovery,” he said.
The posts, he added, will be led by village heads of sub-district heads, with help of Village Consultative Board head as deputy chairperson, and village officers, religious figures, and prominent figures as members. The operational of the posts will be supported by the TNI and Polri personnel.
Establishment of the posts must take into account several aspects, including location, human resources, administration and report systems, budget, and supporting facilities.
As for the budget, it will be sourced from General Allocation Funds (DAU), Revenue Sharing Funds (DBH), or Village Funds.
“I hope regional governments can immediately coordinate with Ministry of Finance regarding the establishment of the posts,” he remarked. (COVID-19 NATIONAL WORKING COMMITTEE COMMUNICATION TEAM/UN) (RAS/EP)
