COVID-19 Innovative Response Tracker

Many businesses have been heavily hit by the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia, especially micro, small and medium enterprises. To support these businesses during the pandemic, the Cianjur District Office for Co-operatives and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises launched an online consultation program called OK UMKM where businesses can ask for advice as well as manage requests for licenses, permits, and other certification such as halal certification. Instead of developing a new smartphone app, OK…

A significant proportion of Bali’s residents rely on domestic and international tourism for income. With the COVID-19 pandemic all but bringing an end to tourism for now, many people’s livelihoods have been significantly negatively affected in Bali. Thousands of tourism workers have lost their jobs or have seen their businesses collapse. In response, the Badung District Industry and Workforce Office decided to provide financial support to workers who have lost their jobs, been told to stay…

JOGO TONGGO is the Javanese phrase for “look after your neighbour”. The program encourages residents of Central Java Province to return to traditional community support values and activities to ensure that everyone gets through the COVID-19 pandemic together. JOGO TONGGO encourages people to work together to guard each others’ health by not entering other people’s houses and ensuring distance is kept when meeting face-to-face, and by supporting each others’ financial resilience by…

The Makassar City Library Services Office in South Sulawesi runs a variety of library outreach activities, such as mobile library services and travelling storytelling. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, these face-to-face activities had to cease operation. To keep children entertained and ensure they remain intellectually active during the pandemic, the Makassar City Library Services Office came up with the idea to run storytelling events online. Called DONGKELOR, or Online Travelling…

Like many other districts throughout Indonesia, Banyuwangi District in East Java has been hit hard by COVID-19 on both the health and economic fronts. The district has been a burgeoning tourism location in recent years; with the pandemic, tourists have all but disappeared from Banyuwangi. Banyuwangi has been implementing the Smart Kampung (Smart Village) program for a number of years now, increasingly integrating technology and the internet into public services. In response to the COVID-19…

With schools across Indonesia closed since April 2020, many students and teachers are struggling to participate in online learning. Schools have had to be creative and innovative in how they respond to the pandemic and implement learning and teaching activities to ensure education continues while chances for the virus to spread are reduced. Nearly 60% of Pacitan District is hilly, making both physical access and internet access difficult for residents. Villages are also located relatively far…

Like many areas in Indonesia, South Sulawesi Province frequently encountered problems when families of deceased COVID-19 patients attempted to forcibly take the bodies home from hospitals. This occurred for a number of reasons, namely that Islamic belief says that burial procedures should be conducted within 24 hours of death, but also that many families do not understand that they can still contract the virus from a deceased patient’s body. Other families, meanwhile, do not believe that…

COVID-19 is highly contagious. In order to ensure the safety of personnel, COVID-19 hospitals must have standardised airborne infection handling systems. Rumah Sakit Paru Jember (Jember Lung Hospital) in East Java has developed a technology called ‘Burning System COVID-19’ (‘BUSY COVID-19’). The system includes negative pressure isolation rooms, an air ‘burning’ mechanisme, and air filtration and temperature control. The BUSY COVID-19 system is easy to use and cheaper than other…

In Sleman District, Yogyakarta, staff from the District Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Office are often seen travelling around the area’s towns and villages alike in their ‘SIE MOLIN’ car. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, SIE MOLIN - which stands for ‘Mobil Perlindungan Perempuan dan Anak’, or ‘Car for the Protection of Women and Children’ - activities focused on raising awareness about gender-based violence (GBV) and providing services for women and children victims of…

Banggai was the first district of Indonesia’s Central Sulawesi Province to be hit by the COVID-19 outbreak. Local health facilities such as hospitals and community health centres faced major problems following health protocols introduced by the Ministry of Health due to a lack in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). This meant that health workers working on the frontline of hospitals and other health institutions were not properly protected from contracting COVID-19. The administrative…