People’s Solidarity Plays Key Role in Coping with Covid-19 Pandemic

KOMPAS/DAHLIA IRAWATI

Efan Puriwanto (29), a resident of Pandanlandung Village, Wagir District, Malang Regency, together with a number of youths in his village gathered in a volunteer for handling Covid-19 under the name swadhesi.

MALANG, KOMPAS — Villages need support to able to optimally use their social strength in coping with the Covid-19 pandemic. Solidarity to help each other is the village\'s strength in facing the crisis.

Since the pandemic hit Indonesia in March 2020, volunteering has become an important part of handling Covid-19 in villages. Volunteers do not only take care of residents who are self-isolating but also take them to hospital as well as help them find oxygen cylinders and help carry out contact tracing.

These activities have become the social strength of the village in overcoming adversity due to the pandemic. “Social capital such as kinship is the key to village strength. This is also social control in dealing with various things, including the pandemic," Maryunani, professor of economic development at the University of Brawijaya (UB), said in Malang, East Java on Tuesday (3/8/2021).

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Social power, according to him, can become strong capital in the villages in overcoming problems, including the pandemic. However, special efforts to cultivate social strength are still needed so that the spirit of mutual assistance will be sustainable.

UB sociology lecturer Dhanny S. Sutopo said the solidarity of residents in rural areas was based on collective consciousness as the relationship was not regulated by the system as in urban areas.

The easiest way to restore the people’s solidarity is to include respected figures. Communication, mutual understanding and the values of equality should also be built more frequently so that citizens are more involved.

In Sitirejo village, Wagir district, Malang regency, East Java, there is a burial team. "We help anyone, regardless of religion or village of origin," said Buwang Suharja, the head of Sitirejo village.

KOMPAS/DAHLIA IRAWATI

Covid-19 prevention and anticipation officers in Pandanlandung Village, Wagir District, Malang Regency, East Java, Thursday (27/03/2020) prepared eggs as assistance for villagers affected by the COVID-19 case.

Similar solidarity was also demonstrated by residents of Drajat village, Cirebon city, West Java. To help residents who tested positive for Covid-19, a help center was formed. Donations flowed such as rice, vitamins, up to Rp 11.8 million in cash. “Some residents also opened a catering business. We order food from them and also help their businesses,” said the head of community unit (RT) 004, neighborhood unit (RW) 007, Deni Hamzah (40).

Iceberg phenomenon

The spread of Covid-19 in rural areas looks like an iceberg phenomenon due to the lack of testing and tracing as well as due to the people’s reluctance to go to a hospital. The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in rural areas seems small, despite the fact that there has been a spike in deaths.

Many people who are sick with Covid-19 symptoms are not being tracked.

"According to reports of colleagues in the field epidemiologists’ network , Covid-19 is spreading fast in villages. Many people who are sick with Covid-19 symptoms are not being tracked," General Sudirman University field epidemiologist Yudhi Wibowo said Tuesday.

The chairman of the Covid-19 task force of Ngale village, Paron district, Ngawi regency, East Java, Dodi Kurniadi Wibowo, said the number of Covid-19 cases and deaths in his village had soared since the end of June. "On 22 June, one resident who tested positive for Covid-19 died in Jakarta. His body was taken home. At home, a tahlilan (prayers for the death) was held. Of the tahlilan participants, 38 were sick and twelve later died," he said.

In July, 38 residents of Ngale village died. According to Dodi, usually only one or two people died per month in this village with a population of 6,500 people.

KOMPAS/DAHLIA IRAWATI

Residents of Pandanlandung Village, Wagir District, Malang Regency, East Java, Monday (07/09/2020), built drainage.

A spike in the death tally has also begun to occur outside Java. The head of Labuhan Sumbawa village, Labuhan Badas district, Sumbawa regency, West Nusa Tenggara, Kamiruddin, said he was shocked by the deaths of four residents in his village on the same day on 2 Aug. Two of them tested positive for Covid-19. Two other people died at home and did not get tested. "Most people don\'t want to go to the hospital. They are afraid to be tested for Covid-19," he said.

According to a report by the Health Ministry, the number of national daily Covid-19 cases reached 33,900 on 2 Aug. The number of active cases increased by 978, bringing the number of cumulative active cases to 524,142. The death toll increased by 1,598, bringing the total deaths to 98,889. (IKI/AIN/WER/AIK/DIA)

(This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi).