By March 22, as reported by kompas.com, COVID-19 had infected 514 people across Indonesia, 48 of whom have died of the disease.The pandemic has also put the world – including Indonesia –under the threat of an economic recession. Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati was quotedby kompas.comas saying that Indonesia’s first-quarter economic growth might be corrected to 4.8 – 4.9 percent.

Thus, taking all measures possible, including using the village fund, is vital to contain the COVID-19 pandemic and treat patients. Abdul said he would disburse Rp 850 trillion (US$50 billion) of the fund to village administrators across Indonesia to combat the pandemic.

According to Abdul, village administrators will focus on using the village fund to conduct labor-intensive programs in the context of COVID-19 pandemic mitigation. Thus, the fund will be used for collective actioninvolving villagers.

Emphasis would be placed on preventive measuresinvolving villagers, he continued. “On the prevention level, village administrators will use the fund to educate residents in their area on how to live in a healthy and clean manner,” Abdul said.

He expressed hope that a clean and healthy lifestyle could curb the spread of the coronavirus. He advised people to consume lots of fruits and vegetables while also consuming herbs such as ginger andcurcumin, which could boost human immunity.

“Also, do not forget to get enough rest and exercise regularly,” he said.

All the activities at the village level require administrators to coordinate closely with national authorities, such as the national COVID-19 task force headed by National Disaster Mitigation Agency head Doni Monardo, in order to ensure that all villages across Indonesia use the fund in proportion with their actual needs.

“As per our coordination meeting with the agency, the ministry will focus on using the fund in villages across several areas [with high COVID-19 prevalence]: Central Java, East Java, West Java and Banten,” he said.

According to Abdul, the village fund will also be used to treat COVID-19 patients.

“We will continue to engage in daily communication with villages to monitor the disbursement and use of the village fund, especially related to the labor-intensive activities. We would also like to map out the villages in order to design a support system for them,” he said.

Besides these campaign and prevention activities, the ministry has established a mobility protocol to prevent infections at the village level.

The protocol is this: Guests who plan to stay for 24 hours or more must report to the village administration office; village healthcare professionals must conduct a medical checkup on guests who plan to stay for a prolonged period in the village; and finally, administrators must put up publicbanners comprising information on how to prevent COVID-19.

“Let us break the chain of COVID-19 infections. Together we can,” he said.

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