Managing the Village, Mitigating the Pandemic

Using government funds, a number of villages have tried using creative means to endure the pandemic. However, the slow disbursement of funds and the lack of resources have become challenges.

MALANG, KOMPAS — The COVID-19 pandemic has affected even small communities in the country, including villages, which have become an important part of the government’s efforts to cope with the pandemic at the micro level. The resources and funds managed by villages can potentially be used to achieve herd immunity. However, they need support from many parties to make it happen.

Villages, Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration Minister Abdul Halim Iskandar said villages had been prepared to cope with the pandemic since 2020. "Villages have been prepared to deal with COVID-19 with policies from the [the ministry] so that village funds can be used  for three things, namely BLT [direct cash assistance], the COVID-19 free village program and the village labor-intensive work program [PKTD]. These three things are focused on handling two problems, namely the economy and health," he said on Friday (30/7/2021).