740 Gravedigger Volunteers In Batu City Smile, Get Cash Assistance

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JAKARTA - The Batu City Government, East Java assists volunteer gravediggers in the area, which is one of the spearheads in handling the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mayor of Batu, Dewanti Rumpoko, said that the distribution of aid to approximately 740 volunteers is a program of the National Amil Zakat Agency (Baznas) which aims to slightly ease the burden on the volunteers.

"I thank the volunteer gravediggers. These volunteers, too, are at the forefront, and are people who are vulnerable to being exposed to the Coronavirus", Dewanti said in Batu City, quoted by Antara, Wednesday, August 25.

Dewanti explained that the assistance was expected to slightly ease the burden on the volunteer gravediggers in the Batu City area. He reminded the volunteers that they could apply strict health protocols at work.

However, he continued, if there are volunteers who are exposed to the Coronavirus, they are expected to be able to immediately report to the head of the local Neighborhood Association (RT), or Citizens Association (RW), so that they can undergo treatment at a centralized isolation facility prepared by the government.

"Because by undergoing isolation in Centralized Isolation, you can receive treatment, be monitored 24 hours, heal faster, and be able to prevent the spread of COVID-19", she said.

On that occasion, the Head of Baznas Kota, Batu Budiono, added that the assistance was distributed for each volunteer of IDR 250,000 was a national program that aims to ease the burden on the volunteers.

"For assistance for volunteers, we distribute it to 740 volunteers", he said.

Budiono added that the volunteer gravediggers in the Batu City area are expected to be a priority for COVID-19 vaccination recipients. Currently, only 30.64 percent of Batu City residents have received the COVID-19 vaccination.

"We also hope that the volunteer gravediggers in all villages or sub-districts will also be prioritized to get vaccinated. Because they are the people who directly help bury the bodies of COVID-19 patients", he said.

To date, overall in the region, there have been 2,931 positive confirmed cases of COVID-19. Of the total, 2,522 people were reported to have recovered, 248 people were declared dead, and the rest were under treatment.