Central Java turns to ‘Jogo Tonggo’ to fight Covid-19

As other provinces in Indonesia impose large-scale social restrictions (PSBB), Central Java has chosen to initiate a community movement programme to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic.

Dubbed “Jogo Tonggo”, which means neighbours looking after each other, the province, home to 30 million people, is counting on the programme to pull them out of the crisis, according to The Jakarta Post.

The province has engaged the people to collaborate in maintaining physical distance, managing food supplies and helping others in response to the health crisis. Central Java has fluctuated between the fifth and fourth hardest-hit province.

Governor Ganjar Pranowo said the system encourages the communities to embrace local values.

He said the administration chose to empower communities at the grassroots level because the province lacked funds and resources to impose PSBB measures for a long period.

“Let’s put our trust in society. There is potential social power that has yet to be utilised there,” Ganjar said, adding that enforcement of strict measures would instead cause unnecessary fear among the residents.

However, there have been doubts about the efficiency of the Jogo Tonggo programme as the number of Covid-19 cases is still relatively high.

Ganjar added that only 30 per cent of the province’s 7,809 villages were actively reporting their Jogo Tonggo activities.

“We actually have many shortcomings. This (Jogo Tonggo programme) is only reaching about 30 per cent (of communities).

“But I’d say even a single inspiration (from the movement) would be very meaningful,” he said, adding that he would continue to promote videos of Jogo Tonggo activities via his social media accounts “to inspire” others.

The province saw three areas with relatively high rates of new cases compared to other regions of Central Java, namely, Semarang city, Magelang regency and Temanggung regency, according to Ganjar.

“In these areas, local administrations have intensified contact tracing, rapid (antibody) testing and swab (polymerase chain reaction) testing,” he said.

Central Java had also recorded a higher death rate among confirmed cases and patients under surveillance, at 7.87 per cent and 13.66 per cent, respectively, up to Saturday, compared to East Java and Jakarta — the two provinces with the most Covid-19 cases.