The laptops were distributed during his working visit to East Java Province last weekend, according to a press statement that ANTARA quoted in Jakarta on Monday.
"The laptop computers and applications in them must be mastered well by all village supervisory non-commissioned officers (Babinsa), who become contact tracers," Tjahjanto was quoted as saying.
Laptops for the army's Babinsa personnel, who join the East Java administration's COVID-19 prevention and mitigation efforts, are equipped with applications of digital tracers "Silacak" and Inarisk."
During his visit, Tjahjanto monitored the adeptness of the contact tracers, recruited from Babinsa and the police's security and public order officers (Bhabinkamtibmas), in using the applications.
The TNI commander urged contact tracers to work unremittingly on account of the importance of contact tracing activities to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease among members of communities amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Drawing reference to the result of a specimen study, the COVID-19 Delta variant, found to be more contagious than the original Wuhan virus, had spread to 24 provinces in Indonesia, including East Java.
The TNI and National Police (Polri) contribute to the nation's endeavors to combat COVID-19 by actively participating in mass vaccination drives and contact tracing activities.
In February this year, both the TNI and Polri had supported the Health Ministry in handling COVID-19 by assigning their personnel for vaccination and contact tracing activities.
As part of the synergistic efforts of the TNI, Polri, and Health Ministry, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, the health minister, attended a roll-call at the TNI headquarters in Cilangkap, East Jakarta, in February during which he emphasized that the coronavirus pandemic was a war.
"Hence, we are here to work with the TNI commander and National Police chief to fight this war," Sadikin notified journalists after attending the roll-call.
Vaccination and contact tracing programs can be conducted in all community units (RW), neighborhood units (RT), villages, districts, and cities in Indonesia owing to the TNI and police's solid networks until the grassroots level, according to the minister.
In addition to working with the TNI and police, collaborating with communities is also the key to reducing the COVID-19 infection rate as the objective of this "war," he affirmed.
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Translator: Fauzi, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Sri Haryati
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
