Minister of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration, Abdul Halim Iskandar, has deemed the spirit of collectivism and mutual assistance among villagers as effective against the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It has been proven that villagers can handle the pandemic using a simple, effective, and large-scale method,” he said in a written statement issued here on Wednesday.

According to Iskandar, the majority of villagers in 74,961 villages in Indonesia have currently adapted to the new habit of wearing masks and maintaining distance during a gathering or a collective event.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made villagers realize the importance of reviving local customs, such as planting a variety of medicinal plants in their environment, he said..

While handling the COVID-19 in early 2020, the ministry instructed the formation of  Village Volunteers Against COVID-19, spearheaded by village heads and their second-in-commands, the Village Deliberation Agency (BPD) heads, he said

As of December 7, 2021, the ministry has recorded at least 46,905 villages providing handwashing stations in public spaces and 45,081 villages distributing masks to residents, he informed.

Meanwhile, some 46,031 villages have carried out dissemination efforts concerning living with COVID-19, he said.

In addition, village governments have conducted a direct mandate concerning the COVID-19 pandemic, provided isolation spaces and 86,839 beds, and put up health protocol banners to adapt to new habits, he noted.

“The number of Village Volunteers Against COVID-19 in 2019 reached 1,628,787 people. They are in charge of disseminating information concerning the health protocols,” Iskandar informed.

Earlier, the COVID-19 Task Force reported that 100,459,272 Indonesians have received the complete COVID-19 vaccination dose.

According to the data received by ANTARA here on Wednesday, some 143,794,042 Indonesian citizens have received their first dose of the vaccine.

Source: Antara News