The pupils focused their public awareness campaign at the Tangkerang Labuhai traditional market in Pekanbaru City to raise awareness among merchants of the vaccination program.
Three of the Unri students wore traditional attire emblematic of the multicultural communities in Indonesia while brandishing banners bearing health protocol messages.
Nurlaila wore an Aceh traditional costume, while Agung was dressed in a Papuan traditional attire, and Arky wore Malay traditional clothing during the COVID-19 awareness campaign.
Their seven university mates wore alma mater suits during the community service program to help traders and people at large in Pekanbaru to diligently follow health protocols.
"The students wearing traditional attire are so creative while launching their public awareness campaign in this traditional market," a visitor named Wahyudi stated.
The students, through the banners they brought, persuaded community members to partake in the vaccination program and continue to practice the government's recommended health protocols.
To this end, the students distributed flyers containing COVID-19 messages and free face masks to protect them from getting infected and transmitting the coronavirus disease.
As of April 1, 2021, Indonesia recorded 6,142 new confirmed cases over the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the total number of positive cases to 121,222.
Indonesia has been striving to win the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic since the government officially announced the country's first cases on March 2, 2020.
The government has rolled out a nationwide vaccination program since January 13 this year to stem the spread of the disease.
The Health Ministry estimates a time period of 15 months to vaccinate some 181.5 million people under the national program.
"We need 15 months to accomplish it. The time frame for conducting the vaccination is counted from January 2021 to March 2022," the Health Ministry's spokesperson for the vaccination program, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, stated recently.
During the period, the government is targeting to inoculate some 181.5 million people, including 1.3 million paramedics and 17.4 million public sector workers in 34 provinces, she informed.
Tarmizi noted that the first phase of the government's immunization program is divided into two periods: January-April 2021 and April 2021-March 2022.
Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto has affirmed that all TNI personnel will participate in this vaccination program.
Indonesia's COVID-19 infection rate crossed one million cases on January 26, 2021.
The outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease has dragged Indonesia into serious public health and economic crises. Related news: Vaccination program to drive Indonesia's economic growth for better
Related news: Govt to procure 426 mln doses of COVID-19 vaccines
EDITED BY INE
Translator: FB Anggoro, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
