"The two companies have contributed 20,000 packages respectively for the community through PMI," PMI secretary general Sudirman Said informed over telephone on Tuesday.
He said efforts to tackle the virus require the collaboration of all elements of society, including the business world. Efforts made by the two companies should serve as an inspiration for other businesses to participate in doing good.
Providing assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic is a humanitarian mission that needs to be carried out with the support of all parties, especially those who have surplus assets, he continued.
Offering details on the distribution of aid, he said, 6,531 packages have been disbursed in South Jakarta, 2,244 packages in North Jakarta, 6,531 packages in West Jakarta, and 4,694 packages in Central Jakarta.
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Meanwhile, Aetra has distributed as many as 7,754 packages directly in East Jakarta, 4,694 packages in Central Jakarta, and 7,552 packages in North Jakarta.
The food packages include rice, cooking oil, and granulated sugar, which are needed by the people in the DKI Jakarta area, the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in Indonesia.
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"In addition to the nine basic-necessities package, PMI has distributed 500 thousand clean and healthy living behavior packages (PHBS) throughout Indonesia. The packages comprise five cloth masks, two soap bars, and one tea box,” said Sudirman.
He said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the PMI has mobilized all its volunteers from the volunteer corps, community-based disaster alert (Sibat), management, and other arms. Besides distributing aid packages, the largest humanitarian agency in Indonesia is also spraying disinfectants in almost all parts of Indonesia.
PMI is also raising awareness about preventing the spread of the deadly virus. It is educating the public, urging them against rejecting bodies of patients dying of the disease.
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Translator: Aditia Aulia, Azis Kurmala
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
Copyright © ANTARA 2020
