BACKGROUND AND DETAILS
Apart from Jakarta, West Java is the next region hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. While the central government has been updating its numbers on confirmed cases, provincial governors have suggested that numbers are significantly higher than the official count.
Due to the decentralized governance system in Indonesia, regions and provinces like West Java are impacted by the hindered public policy implementation and the lack of delivery of government services.
To fight the COVID-19 crisis, the Governor of West Java has proactively undertaken the following initiatives:
- Ramping up Testing Efforts
Photo courtesy of Ridwansyah Yusuf Achmad
To bypass the slow testing process, West Java has obtained test kits and equipment independently from South Korea. They have also established its very first laboratory test for COVID-19 and drive-through testing stations to increase access to COVID-19 tests.
These proactive measures have allowed the province to distribute many rapid test kits which have helped health officials identify several infectious clusters in West Java.
2. Use of Open Data
Photo courtesy of Ridwansyah Yusuf Achmad
West Java provides real time and actual data on the new cases, test numbers, recovering patients and death numbers transparently through their COVID-19 website and apps named PIKOBAR. PIKOBAR seeks to weed out fake news and allow users to conduct a preliminary self-diagnosis through the app to find out if they should get tested.
However, West Java still faces several challenges in providing efficient, widespread and reliable testing during this period.