But in reality, the prolonged and unforeseen COVID-19 outbreak has yet to show signs of ending; instead, it has gotten worse as indicated by the rising number of cases since early July.

In light of the magnitude of COVID-19-related issues and the sheer size of Indonesia in terms of area and population, the government cannot work alone in the fight against the pandemic but needs the help of the private sector and the public’s involvement.

This inspired property developer Sinar Mas Land to support the government’s efforts to help the people cope with the health crisis while maintaining its policy of providing various forms of aid.  

The property developer has been distributing aid since April 2020, ranging from basic foods, boxed rice, masks, hand sanitizers and disinfectants to medication, vitamins, COVID-19 virus detection tools, medical equipment, face shields and personnel protection equipment (PPE) for medical workers and security officers who are working on the frontlines of the battle.

While the provision of aid continues, this year Sinar Mas started to focus on helping the government in its efforts to achieve herd immunity in Indonesia through the acceleration of the vaccination program.

To demonstrate its commitment to helping the government combat COVID-19, Sinar Mas Land has intensively collaborated with the health agencies of Depok, Cikarang and Karawang in West Java, South Tangerang and Tangerang regency in Banten and in Batam, Riau Islands, to carry out vaccine drives.

The first took place in March and to date, in collaboration with the health agencies, Sinar Mas Land has helped vaccinate 54,227 people.

South Tangerang Health Agency accreditation and quality head I Gusti Ayu Rai Ratih underscored the importance of the private sector’s and the public’s participation in COVID-19 vaccination.

“The South Tangerang Health Agency expressed its gratitude to Sinar Mas Land for the company’s continuous support of our efforts to accelerate the COVID-19 vaccination program. We hope that the public will accept and follow our activities so as to keep us protected from the COVID-19 virus,” I Gusti Ayu Rai Ratih said.

Tangerang Health Agency disease control and prevention head Hendra Tarmizi MARS said:  “We appreciate the steps taken by Sinar Mas Land to open vaccine centers in accordance with the priority target set by the government, starting from the elderly people, public service officers and then the general public, especially amid the new surge of COVID-19 cases. We hope that the program can serve the public optimally for our shared health.”

Jakarta Health Agency referral health service and critical health head Sulung Mulia Putra thanked Sinar Mas Land for its initiative to carry out the vaccination programs, most of which are targeted at micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME), laborers and public service officers.

 “On behalf of the Jakarta Health Agency, we’d like to express our gratitude to ITC Group for participating in the vaccination program, with 16,500 MSMEs targeted, the biggest participants in Jakarta,” he said.

Sinar Mas Land managing director president office Dhony Rahajoe said Sinar Mas Land was enthusiastic about helping the government in the fight against COVID-19 to revive the economy and to allow everyday life to return to normal.

“We hope that our participation cannot help the government’s efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19, but also benefit the affected people and drive the national economic recovery,” Dhony said.

Vaccine centers were set up in ITC Mangga Dua (North Jakarta), BSD Junction (South Tangerang), Q-Big (Tangerang regency) and ITC Depok (Depok).

Meanwhile, vaccine drives for industries were carried out at other Sinar Mas Land project locations, including Nuvasa Bay Batam and the Greenland International Industrial Center (GIIC) in Kota Deltamas Cikarang, as well as a collaborative project Japan’s Itochu Corporation, the Karawang International Industrial City (KIIC).

Sinar Mas Land’s vaccination drives were also open to public service personnel and vaccine priority recipients, such as the elderly and teachers. During Ramadan, Sinar Mas Land teamed up with Yayasan Muslim Sinar Mas Land for a vaccine program at Al-Azhar School BSD City for managers of the mosque, allowing them to serve Muslims who performed religious service in the holy month of Ramadan by adhering to health protocols.

Additionally, Sinar Mas Land and Q-Big shopping center, along with the latter’s tenants, hosted several vaccine drives for thousands of people aged 17 years and above. In BSD City, Atmadjaya Catholic University has played host to a vaccine center for thousands of students, teachers and the general public.

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