Jakarta (ANTARA) - As many as 29,208 village-level posts have been established to strengthen coronavirus prevention and handling and guide the community to prevent a third wave of infections, the COVID-19 Handling Task Force has informed.
The number of posts has reached 36.30 percent of the nationwide target of 80,469 posts, head of the behavioral change division of the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, Harris Iskandar, said during an online discussion, accessed here on Thursday.
“It is hoped that with the tightening (of restrictions) ahead of the Christmas and New Year holidays, the activities of those posts can be improved along with the cooperation with the task force, Home Affairs Ministry, and regional governments,” Iskandar said.
These posts will be tasked with overseeing the implementation of the health protocols in the community as well as provision of information and education on COVID-19 prevention, including encouraging people to get vaccinated, he informed.
According to him, vaccination coverage still presents a challenge for Indonesia as the country has 34 provinces and 514 districts and cities in total.
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"Indeed, until now, our vaccination coverage has reached 66.89 percent. However, it should also be emphasized that Indonesia is not like other countries in general. We have 514 districts and cities and 34 provinces; we have challenges in distribution, equity, and even vaccination coverage," he expounded.
He revealed that currently, there are still 21 provinces whose second dose vaccination coverage is below the national rate of 45.83 percent. This is a challenge for Indonesia as the country is targeting to reach 70 percent vaccination coverage by the end of 2021, he said.
He affirmed that the government continues to disseminate and educate the public on the behavior changes required to prevent COVID-19 through various means such as guidebooks, songs, games, comics, podcasts, social media, and even wayang (puppet) shows.
In addition, the government has made the behavioral change guidebooks available in 107 regional languages, which have been translated from the national behavior change rule book, he added.
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