President Jokowi\'s Visit Melts Hearts

KOMPAS/ABDULLAH FIKRI ASHRI

Residents gathered on the side of the road in the Kalijaga area, Harjamukti District, Cirebon City, West Java, to await the arrival of President Joko Widodo on Tuesday (31/8/2021). The President monitored door-to-door vaccinations in Pengampaan Village.

COVID-19 vaccination was special for Rudianto, 59, a resident of Pengampaan village in Cirebon city, West Java. On Tuesday (31/8/2021), he was not only vaccinated near his three-wheeled pedicab parked in front of his house, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo was also present to witness him get the jab.

The arrival of President Jokowi more or less eased the residents\' anxiety about the pandemic. Rudianto\'s eyes were twinkling, unable to hide his happiness.

“Pak Jokowi simply asked, ‘Are you in pain or not [because of the shot]?’ I said, ‘No.’ I was given a parcel and an envelope too," he said.

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Rudianto prepared enthusiastically for the special day. He was so excited to meet the President that the pedicab driver was late to bed but woke up before 6 a.m. He also underwent polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test and received a negative result before the meeting.

A piece of paper with the number one was attached to a wooden beam supporting his house as a marker for the President to pay a visit. Banners that read "Door to Door Mass Vaccination" bearing the symbol of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) were scattered on a number of houses in the village, which is located right behind the runway of Cakrabhuwana Airport, where President Jokowi\'s plane landed.

KOMPAS/ABDULLAH FIKRI ASHRI

Rudianto (59), a rickshaw puller, gets an injection of the Covid-19 vaccine at his home in Pengampaan Village, Harjamukti District, Cirebon City, West Java, Tuesday (31/8/2021). The door to door vaccination initiated by the State Intelligence Agency was witnessed directly by President Joko Widodo.

Now, Rudianto is quieter after being vaccinated, like his wife and children. Every day, this father of five children drives the pedicab starting at 6 a.m. He stays to wait for orders in Penggung, about 1 kilometer from his residence. During the COVID-19 pandemic, his income dropped from Rp 100,000 per day to a maximum of Rp 50,000 per day. "Sometimes I don\'t get the money," he said.

Now, after being vaccinated, Rudianto felt more protected from the coronavirus. He was determined to work harder to earn a living to meet the needs of his family, including paying university tuition fees for his first child.

Koyimah, 56, another Pengampaan resident, also appreciated the door-to-door vaccination program. “Initially [I was] afraid of being vaccinated. I heard that someone who had been vaccinated got sick and died. After the President arrived, I was sure the vaccine would be safe,” said Koyimah, who also received a parcel of basic necessities from the President.

The small trader said the vaccination drive was like being obliged to wear a helmet while riding a motorcycle. The goal was safety.

"So, don\'t be too panicked and nervous about being vaccinated," Koyimah said.

Koyimah and Rudianto were among 13 elderly and vulnerable people who received jabs in the door-to-door vaccination drive in Cirebon and were observed by the President. Some 500 Pengampaan residents are targeted in the drive. Of the target of about 18,000 residents in Kalijaga village, including Pengampaan, as many as 5,786 people have been vaccinated.

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In Cirebon city, the coverage of the first dose of vaccination has reached 57.7 percent of the target of 262,198 people. Meanwhile, only 8,879 elderly people have received a second dose, or 34 percent of the target of 25,784 people.

KOMPAS/ABDULLAH FIKRI ASHRI

A man shows a gift from President Joko Widodo during a visit to Kalijaga Village, Harjamukti District, Cirebon City, West Java, Tuesday (31/8/2021). The President was present to monitor door-to-door vaccinations in Pengampaan Village.

Picking up the ball

President Jokowi said the program initiated by BIN was to help speed up public vaccination. "I ask the public to remain disciplined in health protocols and immediately join the vaccination program," he said.

On the same day, the President also witnessed door-to-door vaccinations in Kliwon hamlet, Sangkanurip village, Cigandamekar district, Kuningan. Juneb, 64, a local resident, was initially afraid of being vaccinated. The reason was misleading information about the COVID-19 vaccine on social media.

However, the arrival of the President was effective in dispelling his doubts. “Pak Jokowi said, ‘How do you feel?’ It was like being bitten by an ant. My wife has also been vaccinated. Thank God, there is no need to go to a community health center (puskesmas)," he said.

Head of neighborhood unit (RT) 002 of community unit (RW) 007 in Sangkanurip village, Roni Sahroni, said that previously there was anxiety among residents about vaccines. “Initially, there was a neighbor in the village who was given an injection, but the next day he died. Everyone was afraid of being vaccinated. In fact, the death was caused by another disease," he said.

I ask the public to remain disciplined in health protocols and immediately join the vaccination program.

Previously, according to Roni, only 17 people were vaccinated out of 179 people. Now, almost all of them have been vaccinated. A total of 15 people were vaccinated at home, witnessed by the President. The others were vaccinated at the village hall.

With this vaccination program, it is hoped that the pandemic will be resolved faster and the economy will improve soon.

“In the past, in a month, there was a week off of working with a mattock at the most. Now, in a month, [we] only work for a week,” said Edi Prianto, 34, a farm laborer who earns around Rp 50,000 per day. He expressed hope to President Jokowi that his three children could continue their education to a higher level.

The COVID-19 pandemic is indiscriminate. Vulnerable groups such as the elderly and people from low-income economies are the hardest hit. Vaccination is one of the steps to make everything better.

This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo.