The Government of Indonesia's COVID response requested communities to conduct three main preventive measures: first, to wash their hands with soap and running water for at least 20 seconds, and to do this as often as possible; second, to wear a mask and replace it with a new one after four hours. The community did not always implement these three measures and inaccurate or incorrect information started spreading among the population. Responding to the rumours and hoaxes, and inaccurate information, various new and accurate information was conveyed by the Risk Communication and Community Empowerment/Engagement Working Group, which is under the command of the national Task Force and consists of representatives of ministries and governmental agencies, various UN organizations, as well as non-profit organizations such as the Indonesian Red Cross and other community organizations.
The Community Voices endeavours to document the above various efforts. This edition contains around 20 reports or survey results of the communities’ perception on COVID-19 by various agencies, including government bodies and community organizations. For this first edition, The Community Voices focuses on the efforts or activities at the national level. An addendum on the situation in DKI Jakarta is included, considering that DKI Jakarta is the capital of Indonesia, and in the first few months had the highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country.
