COVID-19 Has Spread To Indigenous Indigenous Peoples

Illustration - The Baduy indigenous people in the interior of Lebak Regency, Banten Province are happy to receive cash social assistance funds (BST) rolled out by the Ministry of Social Affairs due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

JAKARTA - Secretary General of the Alliance of Indigenous Peoples of the Archipelago (AMAN) Rukka Sombolinggi reported that SARS-CoV-2 which causes COVID-19 has penetrated into the environment of indigenous peoples living in the interior or outer islands of Indonesia in the past year. more powerful and easily contagious, the defenses of indigenous peoples are starting to break," said Rukka in a written statement received in Jakarta, reported by Antara, Friday, July 30. relatively isolated. The lives of the residents also run independently by prioritizing local wisdom. However, currently, said Rukka, there has been a significant increase in the number of positive COVID-19 among indigenous peoples. According to reports compiled by AMAN, the transmission of COVID-19 is currently occurring in the Aru Kayau area ( North Kalimantan), Lamandau (Central Kalimantan), Tana Toraja and North Toraja (South Sulawesi), Sigi (Central Sulawesi) and the Aru Islands (Maluku). ' said Rukka.

According to Rukka, the state is obliged to provide health services for the entire population, including access to vaccines in the context of accelerating the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. "Vaccination as an antidote to COVID-19, is a life saver whose access must be expanded and prioritized for those who really need it. The government needs to take discretionary steps because this is a matter of people's lives, not just a matter of elections or elections. ," he said. Rukka emphasized that indigenous peoples were not a vulnerable group. They can live independently and have been maintaining harmony and preservation of nature, as well as biodiversity in the deepest and outermost areas of Indonesia.