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Volunteers for COVID-19 response to begin work on March 23
Volunteers will be assigned to handle logistical and operational affairs .
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A volunteer, that directs visitors at a coronavirus testing centre, gestures at the Kuwait International Fairgrounds in Mishref, Kuwait March 18, 2020. (REUTERS/Stephanie McGehee)
Volunteers selected by the government through the State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) Ministry will begin working to help mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on March 23.
Registration will close at midnight on Friday.
The volunteers will be assigned to handle logistical and operational affairs in preparing alternative facilities for COVID-19 patients in case the current referral hospitals are no longer able to accommodate patients.
They will be trained by the Indonesia Healthcare Corporation before carrying out their duties. In addition to that, they will also be equipped with protective gear and given health insurance while volunteering.
SOE Minister Erick Thohir said the government would announce the selection results on Saturday.
Read also: Indonesian SOE Ministry searches for volunteers to assist with coronavirus handling
"The selected volunteers will receive guidance and training on Sunday and start work on Monday," he said in a written statement on Friday.
Healthy people in Greater Jakarta who are under 40 years old and single will be prioritized.
In addition to accepting volunteers, the government is also accepting donations of rapid test equipment.
As of Thursday, Indonesia has recorded 309 COVID-19 cases with 25 deaths, the highest death toll in Southeast Asia. Nearly 70 percent of COVID-19 deaths in the country have been recorded in Jakarta, according to the Jakarta administration.
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has also urged hospitals to prepare contingency plans in case they were overwhelmed by patients. Hospitals have been advised to use the athletes apartment complex in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, which can accommodate 15,000 people, and state-owned hotels as emergency wards.
