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COVID-19: West Java distributes cash, food to Greater Bandung residents prior to PSBB
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An employee of state-owned postal company PT Pos Indonesia arranges packages of staple food that will be distributed to Greater Bandung residents impacted by the large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) that will be imposed in the area for 14 days starting on April 22. (Antara/Novrian Arbi)
W
est Java Governor Ridwan Kamil has decided to distribute social assistance to thousands of families in Greater Bandung before officially implementing large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) in the area amid efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Starting on Sunday, the governor distributed staple food aid worth Rp 350,000 (US$22.50) and Rp 150,000 in cash to 5,492 families in Bandung and Cimahi, West Java.
"The sooner [we give the aid] the better. We decided to distribute the funds to residents, while we're continuously collecting data on more beneficiaries," Ridwan said in the Central Processing Office of state-owned postal company PT Pos Bandung on Sunday.
Ridwan said his administration would distribute monthly assistance for the next four months.
"There are 4,668 beneficiaries in Bandung and 824 beneficiaries in Cimahi," Ridwan said.
He also said the administrations would hand out similar aid to around 18,000 families in West Bandung regency gradually.
"Our target is to distribute the funds in the first 10 days of every month. So some residents will receive the funds on the fifth day of the month while others will get it on the 10th," Ridwan said.
The administration cooperated with Pos Bandung to distribute the aid packages as well as online-based motorcycle taxi drivers.
He said he had asked all regents and mayors who were planning to implement PSBB to renew their beneficiaries’ data.
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The social assistance funds from West Java administrations is only one of eight financial aid programs aimed to ease the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Greater Bandung, which consists of Bandung and Cimahi cities, as well as Bandung, West Bandung and Sumedang regencies, will impose the PSBB policy for 14 days starting on Wednesday, following approval from Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto to ramp up efforts in the fight against COVID-19.
The area will join other regions in West Java, namely Bogor, Bekasi and Depok cities, as well as Bogor and Bekasi regencies — all satellite areas of Jakarta commonly referred to as Bodebek — in imposing the PSBB. Ridwan had previously said that Greater Bandung and Bodebek metropolitan areas had around two-thirds of COVID-19 cases in West Java.
Prior to distribution, the central government had also set up the family hope program, staple food card, pre-employment card, and village funds assistance for families hardest-hit by the COVID-19 outbreak.
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and the Social Affairs Ministry had also distributed monthly cash funds worth Rp 600,000 to thousands of residents for the next three months.
Bandung administration economy and development assistant Eric Mohamad Atthauriq said he welcomed the West Java administrations' initiative to distribute cash funds to Bandung residents.
Eric explained there were around 137,000 families in Bandung registered in the Data of Social Welfare (DTKS) database. Some 60,000 of them had received assistance through the family hope program and staple food aid program from the central government.
"The Bandung administration is ready to distribute cash aid to the remaining 77,000 families minus the 4,668 families that have received assistance from West Java administrations," he said.
The West Java Industry and Trade Agency has also prepared 12,000 canned food packages for the residents in addition to the staple food and cash aid. (nal)
